Internet mogul Kim Dotcom receives wish to have extradition hearing live-streamed

Internet mogul Kim Dotcom has been granted his wish to have his extradition from New Zealand to the US over copyright infringement and online piracy charges live-streamed to ensure a fair hearing.

German-born Mr Dotcom, who has permanent residency in New Zealand, faces up to 20 years in jail if convicted in the US of video piracy, which authorities say cost copyright owners hundreds of millions of dollars.

Judge Murray Gilbert blocked American authorities’ attempts to argue against the live-streaming request, ruling it could go ahead under strict conditions.

Mr Dotcom is the founder of file hosting service, Megaupload, which was taken down in 2011 after being accused of criminal copyright infringement.

He tweeted the “breaking new ground” earlier today.

The FBI alleges Megaupload netted more than US$175 million (A$231 million) in criminal proceeds and cost copyright owners more than US$500 million (A$662 million) by offering pirated content.

He has claimed the site was a genuine file-sharing marketplace that did its best to police copyright infringement, but could not oversee every aspect of user activity.

Streaming must be delayed by 20 minutes and all footage must be removed once the hearing has finished.

With AFP.