Mega Auckland Police Sting

New Zealand police arrested four of seven file-sharing firm Megaupload executives, including founder Kim Dotcom, 37, in an early morning sting at his $30 million rented mansion in Coatesville, 30km north of Auckland. The men appeared in court for a first appearance in lengthy extradition proceedings over online piracy claims, which are expected to last for more than a year. Bob Bennett, the man who defended Bill Clinton during the Monica Lewinsky scandal will represent Megaupload. Speaking to the Guardian, Bennett said: “All I am at liberty to say at this stage is that we will be vigorously defending the case.” The prosecution of Megaupload represents one of the biggest copyright cases in US history. A resident of New Zealand and Hong Kong, Dotcom amassed personal earnings in excess of $40m in 2010 alone, according to a US indictment. Established in 2005, Megaupload offered a “one-click” service that allowed users to store and share large files online.