Internet entrepreneur and eccentric Kim Dotcom has launched his new file sharing site, one year after his New Zealand retreat was raided by police allegedly on the orders of the FBI.
Dotcom claimed more than 250,000 users signed up to Mega within the first two hours of it launching yesterday (Sunday) and the German born maverick believes his new service is the fasted growing startup of all time.
At a overtly glamorous launch in north Auckland, he said: “I’ve never seen anything like this. I’ve done a bit of PR and got a bit of attention, that’s certainly helped.
“But I never expected 250,000 user registrations in the first two hours – I think it’s unheard of. I don’t know of any other startup that has had this kind of early success.”
The US authorities are still seeking the extradition of Dotcom and his colleagues on charges of conspiracy to commit copyright infringement, money laundering and racketeering.
Supported by Hollywood producers they say his previous file sharing incarnation, Megaupload, “knowingly and willingly profited from the provision of a conduit for the exchange of pirated materials”, reported the Guardian.
Dotcom used the high-profile launch to attack the US officials and movie producers who seek to bring him down.
He said: “They are trying to blame us for an Internet phenomenon … You can ask any ISP that connects users to the Internet, how much piracy traffic do you think you have on your network, and anyone who will tell you less than 50% is a liar. On the internet, piracy is so common that any Internet company has to deal with the same issues.
“They can’t blame me for the actions of third parties. Megaupload was a dual-use technology. You can use it for good things, and you can use it for bad things. If someone sends something illegal in an envelope through your postal service, you don’t shut down the post office.”
