Kim Dotcom, the controversial internet entrepreneur behind the now-defunct file-sharing giant Megaupload, has lost his latest bid to avoid extradition from New Zealand to the United States. On September 10, 2025, a New Zealand court rejected Dotcom’s request for a judicial review of an August 2024 decision that ordered his surrender to American authorities. The ruling marks the latest twist in a legal saga that has stretched over 13 years and captivated the attention of tech watchers, legal experts, and civil liberties advocates worldwide.
Dotcom, a Finnish-German millionaire, had argued before the High Court that the decision to deport him was politically motivated and that he would face grossly disproportionate treatment if tried in the U.S. on charges of copyright infringement, money laundering, and racketeering. All of these charges stem from his role as founder of Megaupload, a website that, according to U.S. prosecutors, generated at least $175 million from users who illegally downloaded copyrighted songs, television shows, and movies before it was shuttered by the FBI in 2012. Dotcom has consistently maintained that it was the users of Megaupload who chose to pirate material, not the site’s founders.
Justice Christine Grice, who presided over the case, firmly dismissed Dotcom’s arguments. In her written ruling, she rejected claims that the extradition decision was politically motivated or that Dotcom would face unfair treatment in the U.S. She also found no fault with New Zealand police for charging two of Dotcom’s business partners—Mathias Ortmann and Bram van der Kolk—under domestic laws, but not Dotcom himself. These domestic charges resulted in laxer sentences than those that might have been imposed had the men been tried in the United States. Grice concluded that only charging Ortmann and van der Kolk in New Zealand was “a proper exercise of the Police's discretion.”
Dotcom’s legal team, led by Ron Mansfield, has not ruled out further appeals. Mansfield told Radio New Zealand, “There is much fight left in us as we seek to secure a fair outcome,” though he declined to elaborate on what form that fight might take. According to court documents, the deadline for filing an appeal to the Court of Appeal is October 8, 2025. As of now, it remains unclear whether Dotcom will pursue this next legal avenue.
This latest court decision is only the most recent in a long series of legal maneuvers since Dotcom’s dramatic January 2012 arrest. At the request of the FBI, New Zealand authorities raided Dotcom’s sprawling Auckland mansion, arresting him along with several other Megaupload officers. The U.S. Department of Justice described the case as “the largest criminal copyright case in U.S. history,” and has been relentless in its pursuit of Dotcom and his associates ever since.
After his arrest, Dotcom was released on bail in February 2012, and he has remained free in New Zealand ever since. Over the years, he and his business partners have fought the FBI’s extradition efforts at every turn, challenging the actions of both New Zealand and American law enforcement. In 2021, New Zealand’s Supreme Court ruled that Dotcom and two other men could be surrendered to U.S. authorities, but the final decision rested with the country’s justice minister.
Paul Goldsmith, the current justice minister, ultimately ruled in August 2024 that the extradition should proceed. By that point, Dotcom was the only member of the original group still contesting extradition. Two of his former business partners, Mathias Ortmann and Bram van der Kolk, pleaded guilty to charges in a New Zealand court in June 2023 and were sentenced to two and a half years in jail. As part of their plea agreement, U.S. efforts to extradite them were dropped. Dotcom’s legal bid partly challenged the police decision not to extend a similar plea deal to him, but Justice Grice rejected this argument as well.
Another Megaupload officer, Finn Batato, also faced extradition but had his case abandoned by prosecutors. Batato returned to Germany, where he died from cancer in 2022. With Ortmann and van der Kolk serving their sentences and Batato deceased, Dotcom remains the last of the original group still facing potential extradition to the United States.
Dotcom’s health has also become a point of contention in recent years. In November 2024, he revealed on social media that he had suffered a stroke. By July 2025, he reported making “good progress” in his recovery, though he continued to experience speech and memory impairments. Importantly, Goldsmith’s decision to proceed with extradition was made before Dotcom’s stroke, but Justice Grice noted that the minister had considered other “significant health conditions” and was not wrong to conclude that these should not prevent his deportation.
Throughout the proceedings, Dotcom and his legal team have argued that the case is fundamentally political, with the U.S. government using its influence to set an example for the global tech industry. However, the courts have consistently rejected this view, finding no evidence that political motivations played a decisive role in the extradition process.
For now, New Zealand’s government has not disclosed what will happen next in the extradition process or provided an expected timeline for Dotcom’s surrender to the United States. The uncertainty has left both Dotcom’s supporters and detractors watching closely. If Dotcom does appeal, the process could drag on even longer, prolonging what is already one of the most protracted extradition battles in recent memory.
Meanwhile, the legacy of Megaupload continues to cast a long shadow over the digital landscape. Founded in 2005, the site was once among the world’s most popular file-sharing platforms, attracting millions of users. Its shutdown by the FBI in 2012 sent shockwaves through the tech world and set a precedent for how governments might pursue cases involving alleged copyright infringement on the internet.
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith, responding to the court’s decision, said in a written statement, “I am pleased my decision has been upheld.” His words reflect the determination of New Zealand’s authorities to see the extradition process through, despite the years of legal wrangling and international attention.
As the October 8 appeal deadline approaches, all eyes are on Dotcom and his legal team. Whether this marks the end of the road for his fight against extradition—or simply another chapter in a saga that has already spanned more than a decade—remains to be seen.
For Kim Dotcom, the battle is not yet over, but the walls appear to be closing in. The coming weeks will determine whether he faces trial in the United States, or finds yet another way to keep his long-running legal odyssey alive.
