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As a kiwi. This entire case makes me sick. This should have been thrown out of court a long time ago. This is a political move and nothing else. It's NZ on its

As a kiwi. This entire case makes me sick. This should have been thrown out of court a long time ago. This is a political move and nothing else. It's NZ on its knees sucking off the United States. From day 1 it's been illegal. Hidden process, and laws changed to make the process more legal. I hate my country now.

craigds 11y ago
This is exactly how I feel about it. It's not just this case obviously. I used to be proud to be a New Zealander, but the last 5-10 years have made it dreadfully obvious we're actually being operated by foreign and commercial interests, and local/national leaders have no interest in changing that. Sure, it's probably not as bad as certain other places, but it no longer fills me with pride. I'm tired of this country :(
- vacri 11y ago
  I went to NZ in January, and I was a bit sad how much traction the LotR films had gained as 'proxy for kiwiness'. From the airline to the airport to posters and promotional material everywhere; on city streets, in supermarkets... it almost felt like LotR had become part of the national psyche, that LotR was NZ, rather than something cool that NZ had done. I imagine it's waned a bit by now, though.
feelix 11y ago
As another kiwi I couldn't agree more. It has been sickening to watch NZ bend over backwards to serve the USA. This has nothing to do with copyright infringement, and everything to do with bending over for the USA to maintain its benefits.
forrestthewoods 11y ago
Would you rather your country act as a safe haven to criminals in exchange for money?
- philliphaydon 11y ago
  He is a NZ PR. He can be tried and convicted in New Zealand under NZ law. What I don't like is American influence on NZ politics. I have no doubt that he knew the system was being used for illegal file sharing. And no doubt he probably turned a blind eye to a lot of it because it generated money. But he should have been tried and convicted in NZ without the influence of America.
- shadowmint 11y ago
  oh fuck off. You're just trolling now. That's not the issue here. People commit crimes in every country. They should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. No one is arguing that. The issue is that you're suggesting that everyone should obey american law, which has been shown to be corrupt and driven entirely by campaign donations; while the locals are arguing that, perhaps, their own government should say... ...use its own laws, to prosecute its own citizens, rather than the laws from another country. Do you think women should be punished in America for not wearing a hijab in public? That the tenants of Sharia law should be upheld in your country, because they are the laws of another country? No? Right then, like I said...
- toomuchtodo 11y ago
  The US is already a safe haven for ill-gotten funds from Africa and China, parked in California, Texas, and New York City real estate. I'm supposed to be upset about Kim Dot Com? Hardly.
rosege 11y ago
And NZ used to be one of the few countries that wasnt afraid to tell the US no, like they did with nuclear bases/vessels
throwawaykf05 11y ago
If New Zealand is kowtowing to the US, ask yourself why. In politics generally people don't do favors for others for free. Here's another possible angle: Hollywood might actually be contributing favorably to New Zealand's economy, either directly or indirectly (e.g. through increasing tourism), when it films movies like Avatar, LOTR and The Hobbit. See, for instance http://www.forbes.com/sites/carolpinchefsky/2012/12/14/the-impact-economic-and-otherwise-of-lord-of-the-ringsthe-hobbit-on-new-zealand/ http://www.forbes.com/sites/carolpinchefsky/2012/12/14/the-i.... In 2014, the screen industry revenue was NZ$3 billion (see http://www.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_stats/industry_sectors/film_and_television/ScreenIndustrySurvey_HOTP13-14.aspx http://www.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_stats/industry_sectors/f...). This guy was directly undermining Hollywood's business, which meant it could also undermine New Zealand's movie industry, implying it was also in New Zealand's interests to bring him to justice.
- philliphaydon 11y ago
  Yes. Bring him to justice under NZ law. Trial and conviction in NZ. Without influence of America. We are not an independent nation if we are kissing the feet of other nations. That's what I don't like. Our country is not our own any more.
  - throwawaykf05 11y ago
    Kim Dotcom was running a bunch of servers in the US, which means he was running his business at least partially in the US. Secondly, arguably the majority of the infringing content was produced in the US. The US undeniably has significant interest in this case. Does someone become immune to the laws of another nation just because they cross a border? Tomorrow if a US citizen defrauds you, would you not want them brought to justice regardless of where they reside? International treaties exist for a reason.

craigds 11y ago

This is exactly how I feel about it. It's not just this case obviously. I used to be proud to be a New Zealander, but the last 5-10 years have made it dreadfully obvious we're actually being operated by foreign and commercial interests, and local/national leaders have no interest in changing that. Sure, it's probably not as bad as certain other places, but it no longer fills me with pride. I'm tired of this country :(

vacri 11y ago
I went to NZ in January, and I was a bit sad how much traction the LotR films had gained as 'proxy for kiwiness'. From the airline to the airport to posters and promotional material everywhere; on city streets, in supermarkets... it almost felt like LotR had become part of the national psyche, that LotR was NZ, rather than something cool that NZ had done. I imagine it's waned a bit by now, though.

feelix 11y ago

As another kiwi I couldn't agree more. It has been sickening to watch NZ bend over backwards to serve the USA. This has nothing to do with copyright infringement, and everything to do with bending over for the USA to maintain its benefits.

forrestthewoods 11y ago

Would you rather your country act as a safe haven to criminals in exchange for money?

philliphaydon 11y ago
He is a NZ PR. He can be tried and convicted in New Zealand under NZ law. What I don't like is American influence on NZ politics. I have no doubt that he knew the system was being used for illegal file sharing. And no doubt he probably turned a blind eye to a lot of it because it generated money. But he should have been tried and convicted in NZ without the influence of America.
shadowmint 11y ago
oh fuck off. You're just trolling now. That's not the issue here. People commit crimes in every country. They should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. No one is arguing that. The issue is that you're suggesting that everyone should obey american law, which has been shown to be corrupt and driven entirely by campaign donations; while the locals are arguing that, perhaps, their own government should say... ...use its own laws, to prosecute its own citizens, rather than the laws from another country. Do you think women should be punished in America for not wearing a hijab in public? That the tenants of Sharia law should be upheld in your country, because they are the laws of another country? No? Right then, like I said...
toomuchtodo 11y ago
The US is already a safe haven for ill-gotten funds from Africa and China, parked in California, Texas, and New York City real estate. I'm supposed to be upset about Kim Dot Com? Hardly.

rosege 11y ago

And NZ used to be one of the few countries that wasnt afraid to tell the US no, like they did with nuclear bases/vessels

throwawaykf05 11y ago

If New Zealand is kowtowing to the US, ask yourself why. In politics generally people don't do favors for others for free. Here's another possible angle: Hollywood might actually be contributing favorably to New Zealand's economy, either directly or indirectly (e.g. through increasing tourism), when it films movies like Avatar, LOTR and The Hobbit. See, for instance http://www.forbes.com/sites/carolpinchefsky/2012/12/14/the-impact-economic-and-otherwise-of-lord-of-the-ringsthe-hobbit-on-new-zealand/ http://www.forbes.com/sites/carolpinchefsky/2012/12/14/the-i.... In 2014, the screen industry revenue was NZ$3 billion (see http://www.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_stats/industry_sectors/film_and_television/ScreenIndustrySurvey_HOTP13-14.aspx http://www.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_stats/industry_sectors/f...). This guy was directly undermining Hollywood's business, which meant it could also undermine New Zealand's movie industry, implying it was also in New Zealand's interests to bring him to justice.

philliphaydon 11y ago
Yes. Bring him to justice under NZ law. Trial and conviction in NZ. Without influence of America. We are not an independent nation if we are kissing the feet of other nations. That's what I don't like. Our country is not our own any more.
- throwawaykf05 11y ago
  Kim Dotcom was running a bunch of servers in the US, which means he was running his business at least partially in the US. Secondly, arguably the majority of the infringing content was produced in the US. The US undeniably has significant interest in this case. Does someone become immune to the laws of another nation just because they cross a border? Tomorrow if a US citizen defrauds you, would you not want them brought to justice regardless of where they reside? International treaties exist for a reason.