Megaupload's Kim Dotcom Blasts U.S. for Supporting 'Monopolies'

Kim Dotcom faces extradition to the U.S. for piracy charges relating to his file-sharing mammoth Megaupload, but that doesn't mean that he's backing down -- he's actually going on the offensive.

Not only has Dotcom successfully beaten American demands that he be thrown back in jail. Dotcom is now taking to the media to decry the U.S.'s handling of piracy, slamming authorities for "protecting an outdated, monopolistic business model," according to TorrentFreak.

Here's the deal: Dotcom says that he went out of his way to curb piracy -- even going so far as to partner with MPAA-member studios to get rid of over 15 million questionable links, the site reports.

He "developed relationships with 180 takedown partners -- companies authorized to directly remove infringing links from Megaupload's systems."

He says he checked with lawyers to make sure that he was doing enough. They vetted this process, Dotcom says, telling him that he had acted rightly and protected himself from prosecution.

Dotcom also claims that the MPAA never tried to sue him or his website.

Dotcom thought that he had the same rights as YouTube, TorrentFreak notes.

That's to say, YouTube isn't considered liable if users post copyright-infringing content, so long as it polices posts, as per a 2010 court decision.

Dotcom also claims that the indictment against him alleges $500 million in damages for a two-week period, comprised of downloaded songs.

He doesn't understand how that number is possible, TorrentFreak writes.

"They are actually talking about $13 billion US damage within a year just for music downloads. The entire US music industry is less than $20 billion," he said.

Dotcom thinks that he is being targeted because his history as a hacker and flashy lifestyle make him an easy-to-persecute villain.

And now, he openly blames the setup of the industry for prompting piracy in the first place, TorrentFreak notes.

"If the business model would be one where everyone has access to this content at the same time, you know, you wouldn't have a piracy problem. So it's really, in my opinion, the government of the United States protecting an outdated monopolistic business model that doesn't work anymore in the age of the internet and that's what it all boils down to," he said.

Follow Victoria Bekiempis @vicbekiempis.