Dotcom, aka, Kim Schmitz, cannot use the Internet or his helicopters as conditions of the bail, and cannot leave his Auckland mansion except for approved outings such as court appearances and medical appointments, according to the Associated Press. He did not have to post any money to secure bail.
Dotcom is also banned from contacting three Megaupload colleagues – Finn Batato, Mathias Ortmann, and Bram van der Kolk – who were also arrested in New Zealand and have been released on bail pending extradition proceedings.
The Megaupload founder and his colleagues are awaiting extradition to the US, where they face charges of running a $175 million copyright infringement conspiracy. They were charged in the US because some of the site’s servers were based in Virginia and Washington, according to the Justice Department.
According to the US indictment, for more than five years the conspiracy has operated websites that unlawfully reproduce and distribute infringing copies of copyrighted works, including movies – often before their theatrical release – music, television programs, electronic books, and business and entertainment software on a massive scale.