Kim Dotcom’s extradition appeal to begin on Aug. 29

The appeal against the extradition of German internet tycoon Kim Dotcom to the United States for alleged online piracy will begin on Aug. 29 in New Zealand, media reported Tuesday.

High Court Judge Raynor Asher set a “generous” period of eight weeks for the entire process although he expected it would probably only take four to five weeks, according to TVNZ channel.

The judge, who rejected a petition by the United States to prioritize the case, says a verdict on the appeal against the extradition sentence, delivered by the High Court on Dec. 23, could be made public before Christmas.

The current development regarding the appeal has gone in favor of Dotcom, the founder of internet portal Megaupload, and his former associates Finn Batato, Mathias Ortmann, and Bram van der Kolk, who are living in New Zealand on conditional release.

In the December verdict, Judge Nevin Dawson ruled there were reasonable grounds for the accused to respond to the United States with regard to the 13 charges that include online piracy, organized crime and money laundering.

Dotcom and his associates were arrested in January 2012 from their rented mansion in the outskirts of Auckland, following which Megaupload was shut down, their accounts were frozen and their properties confiscated and a complicated extradition battle was initiated.

The United States says Megaupload, which had 50 million users, made illegal profits to the tune of $175 million through internet piracy.

Of the seven Megaupload members to be charged by the United States, Estonian programmer Andrus Nomm is the only one to have been prosecuted so far.

He was sentenced to a little over a year in prison in the United States, which he has already served, after pleading guilty to copyright infringement.