Kim Dotcom, the founder of defunct file-sharing service Megaupload, has been granted permission from a New Zealand court to livestream his extradition hearing on YouTube.
On Aug. 30, a New Zealand judge permitted Dotcom to stream his appeal against his extradition. The court that heard his appeal granted the request for the proceedings to be streamed live beginning on Aug. 31.
For the unfamiliar, the internet mogul is battling extradition to the U.S. from New Zealand. He is accused of replicating and distributing content that was copyrighted on a large scale. He is also charged with copyright infringement, money laundering and racketeering in the U.S.
A visibly elated Dotcom shared the news on his Twitter handle, lauding the New Zealand justice system for its transparency. His proposal to broadcast the hearing live on YouTube had been opposed by the U.S.
I will post the live streaming link here ASAP. This is breaking new ground. New Zealand at the forefront of transparent Justice! Leadership!
— Kim Dotcom (@KimDotcom) August 29, 2016
Dotcom also shared on Twitter that the judge's decision was groundbreaking.
Live streaming of my hearing is a milestone. We're breaking new ground. Please treat the court with respect. Let's make this the new normal. — Kim Dotcom (@KimDotcom) August 30, 2016
The court's decision was also lauded by Dotcom's lawyer, Ira Rothken.
"It provides everybody in the world with a seat in the gallery of the New Zealand courtroom," noted Rothken.
With the permission to livestream his hearing, Dotcom hopes to shed light on his side of the story as well as expose what he claims are incompetencies in the case.
The live stream will allow people to see the proceeding for themselves instead of relying on reports from the media. This move, Dotcom is optimistic, will help build support for his predicament.
However, while Dotcom has been allowed to livestream his hearing on YouTube, there is a caveat. The stipulation is that the live feed will be delayed by 20 minutes, which would potentially allow several intricacies and details to be removed.
Moreover, according to the ruling, once the six-week long hearing is complete, it cannot stay online endlessly. This seems a little bizarre as the chances of viewers recording it independently and then publishing it are apparently high.
Nevertheless, Dotcom is confident of getting justice and exposing the lies through the YouTube stream, as his latest tweet suggests.
Use the live stream to find and expose US Govt misconduct & lies in my case. I'll retweet your research & videos. Let's have some justice! — Kim Dotcom (@KimDotcom) August 30, 2016
You can watch the livestream on YouTube at around 6 P.M. EST.
