The usual police response to copyright infringement is a stern notice and a fine. But if you're Kim Dotcom, with the ire of the FBI against you, you get a raid bigger than the one that killed Bin Laden. It was all caught on camera.
While he and his family were still sleeping, multiple helicopters, police vans, dogs, and heavily armed New Zealand special law enforcement agents stormed his home. Dotcom alleges he was punched, kicked, and pinned to the ground by Kiwi cops, who say the massive use of force was justified, because Dotcom could have destroyed evidence. But as Kim is quick to point out, the FBI had already seized his data center—and all the MegaUpload evidence along with it. So why the enormous police swarm? Did they just want to scare him? Did they want to send a message to Swizz Beats? Were they following the urging of colleagues in the US?
An ongoing investigation will determine whether the huge, apparently violent police strike was justified, but as you can see in the courtroom footage above, New Zealand's government is dubious of this American-spurred mega-raid, more fitting for a drug kingpin than an MP3 pirate. [3 News]