Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com
A New Zealand court delivered a blow to the FBI’s global crackdown on copyright theft, ruling Thursday that a search warrant used to raid the mansion of the suspected kingpin of an Internet piracy ring was illegal, Reuters reports.
The FBI accuses Megaupload.com operator Kim Dotcom, of Germany, of netting $175 million since 2005 by copying and distributing movies, music and other copyrighted content.
Dotom’s lawyer said the website was only for online storage, not swapping unauthorized music or movies.
High Court Judge Justice Helen Winklemann said the warrants used to seize property from Dotcom’s house were illegal because they did not adequately describe the offenses.
