Dotcom Wins Right To Sue NZ Government

An anonymous reader writes "A Court of Appeal judgement released today has ruled in favor of Kim Dotcom and will let him sue the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) alongside New Zealand Police. During the High Court case, it emerged that the GCSB had been illegally spying on Dotcom prior to the raid on his Coatesville mansion, on behalf of the FBI, who now wants the Megaupload millionaire extradited to face trial in the US over copyright infringements."

His mansion

[one eyed kangaroo]

Apropos of nothing at all, I was fortunate to have a client drive me past Kim Dotcoms mansion in a fashionably distant and hilly area North of Auckland a little while ago. It was, he said with evident disdain, a "rented mansion". I've no idea how true that is.

The main gate over which heavily armed special forces apparently had to pass, is barely a metre high, and surrounded by... no fence at all.

When did we start to allow police forces in Western countries start to behave like militias?

Re:Mega and YouTube

[RaceProUK]

it's the unequalness where mega was procecuted but youtube allows to steam on

YouTube is owned by Google, and their pockets are deeper than the Mariana Trench. Dotcom's pockets are more like the Grand Canyon: big, but not that big.

Re:His mansion

[Charliemopps]

As someone that was involved with a legal case with campus police, I can assure you that United States Universities do in fact have their own police forces. Not only that but they are afforded special treatment in the court system. They not only enforce the ordinances on campus... they write them. Campuses are often HUGE and take up hundreds or thousands of acres, even if the buildings themselves don't. People like to donate land to universities in their wills. Because the campus police can write their own ordinances, they do so at will. This was what my court case was about. The changed a rule the same day I was charged, just so they could charge me... or at least "someone" and I was the unlucky sap. They were trying to prove a point. But I fought it so vigorously (because I was furious) the case wasn't resolved for almost a year and nearly everyone forgot about it. I lost in the end and the Judge thought the whole thing was ridiculous so my fine was almost nothing.

The one thing I learned in college? Fuck the police.

Re:He is no hero, no Aaron Schwartz, no EFF.

[sFurbo]

I would prefer if illegal evidence garthering was punished like any other crime, but the evidence garthered could still used. Jail time would be a more powerful deterrent than havibg your evidence thrown out. However, I have no confidence that the guilty cops would receive justice, so perhaps your suggestion works better in practice.