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The flamboyant founder of Megaupload sat down for his first TV interview since his January 20th arrest. Appearing bright-eyed and beaming, Kim Dotcom spoke with New Zealand’s TV3 Thursday. Dotcom was released from jail on February 22 and is under house arrest in New Zealand, facing a total ban from the Internet until his U.S. extradition hearing in August.
The file-sharing mogul and his colleagues are facing a copyright infringement lawsuit alleging piracy of more than $500 million. But in the interview, Dotcom claims he’s “no criminal” and slams the “completely insane” charges against him, while shedding light on his site’s operations.
(PHOTOS: The Larger-Than-Life Lifestyle of Megaupload’s Kim Dotcom)
On his arrest:
“I’m an easy target. My flamboyance, my history as a hacker, you know, I’m not American, I’m living somewhere in New Zealand, around the world. I have funny number plates on my cars.”
On the intense detail of the indictment:
“It’s kind of like weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, you know? If you want to go after someone and you have a political goal you will say whatever it takes. These are fabrications and lies. There are a hundred other companies out there that offer the same service like us.”
On entrepreneurship:
“When you create something that is popular, when you create a solution, you’re an innovator and you solve problems for people and they like what you have to offer, of course you automatically make money.”
On alternate uses:
“You can use us to make a backup online of all your files. There are so many countless, legitimate uses for Megaupload that the piracy element is really just one that is minute and shouldn’t even be the primary focus.”
On holing up Down Under:
“Hong Kong [where Megaupload is headquartered] is a concrete jungle. There is no fresh grass, there are no trees, there are no grills, you know, no birds flying around. I wanted to give my kids an environment of, you know, happiness and nature and peace and that is why we came to NZ.”