30 May 2014

Dotcom's lawyer accuses studios

9:04 am on 30 May 2014

Kim Dotcom's lawyer has said a bid by five Hollywood movie studios to freeze his client's assets is intended to prevent him fighting the case they are taking against him.

The Motion Picture Association believes Mr Dotcom might dissipate his assets if they do not remain frozen.

Kim Dotcom.

Kim Dotcom. Photo: RNZ

But his lawyer, Ira Rothken, told Radio New Zealand's Morning Report programme the studios were trying to take away the money Mr Dotcom needed to fight the case against him.

Mr Rothken said freezing his assets went against the principle that Mr Dotcom was innocent until proven guilty.

Papers filed against Mr Dotcom in the High Court in Auckland were listed for the first time on Thursday.

He faces similar action in the United States, where the studios allege that Mr Dotcom's now defunct site MegaUpload facilitated and profited from a massive copyright infringement of movies and TV shows.

The New Zealand case is before the courts again next week.