As the MegaUpload scandal drags on, Apple co founder Steve Wozniak has come to the defence of Kim Dotcom, the creator of the site, after a picture of them together emerged online, CNET reports.
“When crimes occur through the mail, you don’t shut the post office down,” Wozniak wrote in an email to CNET. “When governments dream up charges of ‘racketeering’ for a typical IT guy who is just operating a file-sharing service, or accuse him of mail fraud because he said he had removed files [to alleged infringing content] when he’d just removed the links to them, this is evidence of how poorly thought out the attempt to extradite him is. Prosecutors are attempting to take advantage of loopholes. Too bad for the U.S. government that DotCom lives in New Zealand, which is better on human rights.”
For those who haven’t been following the MegaUpload case, the file sharing site was shut down due to the number of illegal uploads and founder Kim DotCom was stripped of all his assets, with his legal team currently in a battle with the US government.
“How unfair that the United States will allow him living expenses out of his frozen assets but not give him any legal fees. The side with access to the funds spends millions on lawyers hoping the other side goes bankrupt and gives in. Shame on the system that permits this one-sided advantage. Kim is well enough liked and respected that his legal team is working without up-front payment.” Wozniak continued.
His closing words were some advice to the entertainment industry: “When you can’t stop something like a steamroller, get out of the way.”
We’ll see how the case pans out over the next few months, but you have to sympathise with DotCom, as MegaUpload was also used for perfectly legal purposes by innocent people, who’ve lost a great service.
