One is co-founder of the world’s richest tech company. The other is a Dotcom millionaire accused of making cash from illegal piracy.
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| Kim Dotcom and Steve wozniak in New Zealand recently. |
But that hasn’t stopped Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak speaking out in defence of Kim Dotcom, the brains behind infamous file sharing service, Megaupload.
The colourful “Dr Dotcom” as he is known, was arrested in Januaury and is currently holed up under house arrest in New Zealand, wanted by the FBI in the US on charges of Internet piracy, copyright infringements and money laundering.
Tech whizz ‘Woz,’ as he is better known, has criticised the witch hunt against Dotcom in an interview with Associated Press, as “ridiculous” and a “hokey” and rejects the notion such content sites should be shut down.
This is in spite of his former company Apple making millions on iTunes digital music service, which file sharing sites like Megaupload threaten.
However, Woz insists sites like Megaupload are good for innovation on the web but insists people should still pay for content.
Read: Mega ‘Insane’: Who IS Dr Dotcom?”
“You don’t just shut down the whole street because somebody is speeding,” he declared.
Woz visited Dotcom last month while he was visiting Australia and NZ and it appears a friendship was struck between the (very different) pair.
The Apple co-founder also appeared to chide the US government, saying “It’s just kind of ridiculous what they did to his life,” as the FBI are seeking his extradition to the US.
He also cited the wide support New Zealanders have for their adopted son (Dotcom is German), adding the “US government is on thin ground.”
Woz is part of the donor based Electronic Frontier Foundation, who on Friday will ask a US federal judge to order the return of “legal” data to a Megaupload user who lost all access to his files after the file sharing service was shut down earlier this year.
The case USA V Dotcom is be heard in a Virginia court, and could pave the way for millions of users to be allowed reclaim lost Megaupload files.
Alleged piracy king Kim Dotcom is also said to release a free music service called Megabox and is clearly sticking to his guns, despite his legal difficulties, recently tweeting:
“HACK THE PLANET. KILL THE COPYRIGHT. FUCK THE FEDS AND FUCK THEIR MOMS. I’LL BE OUT BY MIDNIGHT.”
House arrest hasn’t tamed Dr Dotcom, then.
