24 May 2012

Dotcom's bail conditions relaxed

5:06 pm on 24 May 2012

Bail conditions for Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom have been further relaxed.

In Auckland District Court on Thursday, Judge David Harvey changed Mr Dotcom's bail conditions so that he can spend more time recording music in a central Auckland studio.

He was previously allowed to attend the studio on two days each week, for no more than four hours. That has been extended to six hours.

Conditions requiring him to tell his probation officers one day in advance, and send a photo of himself in the studio to the officers, remain in place.

Return to mansion wanted

Mr Dotcom will re-appear in court next week, when he will ask to be allowed to return to the mansion at Coatesville, north of Auckland, where he lived before he was arrested on 20 January, at the request of the FBI.

He has been living in a slightly smaller home while on bail.

Mr Dotcom is seeking a variation on his bail conditions that would allow him and his family to move back into the mansion.

He has spent the past two days at a High Court hearing in Auckland, to determine the legality of a warrant used to seize items from his houses.

On Wednesday he began crying when the court was told some of the electronic material seized has been copied and taken back to the United States where he is wanted on copyright piracy charges.

Megaupload was indicted in a federal court in Virginia on 19 January and the site was then shut down.