Copyright lobbyist on Key's Hollywood agenda

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Key to meet copyright lobbyist

3News NZ

Prime Minister John Key visited the set of The Mentalist at Warner Brothers today (file)

Prime Minister John Key visited the set of The Mentalist at Warner Brothers today (file)

By Patrick Gower

In the television series The Mentalist, the lead character solves serious crimes by using his razor-sharp skills of observation.

Prime Minister John Key visited the set of The Mentalist at Warner Brothers today and met its star, Simon Baker.

But of course Mr Key's own observational skills, when it comes to Kim Dotcom at least, haven't been so flash lately.

Mr Key is in Hollywood to drum up business and create jobs for New Zealanders. But although Hollywood's business model is under threat from file-sharing sites like Megaupload, Mr Key doesn't buy into Dotcom's theory that Hollywood pressure led to the police raid on his mansion here in New Zealand.

“There are lots of great theories that Kim Dotcom and others have,” he says.

Mr Key has been saying he doesn't think the subject of Dotcom will be raised by Hollywood. But he will be having dinner with former United States senator Chris Dodd – the man who heads Hollywood’s lobby group, the Motion Picture Association of America.

Dotcom tweeted today implying Dodd was "responsible for the destruction of #megaupload & the abuse of my family".

Mr Dodd was recorded speaking about piracy just days before the Dotcom raid was conducted here in New Zealand on behalf of the United States government.

“No one is arguing that whether or not we ought to deal with these rogue foreign criminal sites that steal American jobs and products," he said. "We're now arguing about how best to do this.”

Green Party co-leader Russel Norman says that, whatever Mr Key says, he’s sure Dotcom will come up for discussion.

“The Kim Dotcom affair will be the elephant in the room and it's inconceivable that they won't discuss it.”

Labour MP Grant Robertson agrees.

“They are worried about Kim Dotcom and Megaupload - John Key doesn't want to talk about it - I'm sure they will,” he says.

Meanwhile Mr Key is writing off the concerns around Dotcom as “conspiracy theories”.

“I'd caution New Zealanders not to buy into conspiracy theories too much,” he says.

With all of Mr Key's Hollywood meetings being held behind closed doors, we'll never know what is said about Dotcom. But at least if the studio moguls ask how the extradition is going, the answer is obvious: not very well – not very well at all.

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Comments

6/10/2012 3:51:38 p.m.

joseph fiennes wrote:

every time hes cougt out its memory loss how long are we to take this excuse ? and please if he has amnesia get him to a nuro surgeon and have him looked at . this guy gets amnesia all the time , all the time . are you people really that stupid he treats us with contempt doing that .as soon as he gets back take key to the hospital something is not right with his mind to constantly have bouts of amnesia .he should be stood down on medical grounds until he sees a specialist .

6/10/2012 3:44:20 p.m.

bret smith wrote:

why don't you stay over their key your nothing but a lair and a swine of a prime minister .thinking of an alternative for the first time and i quite like David shearer he does not tell lies like mr key and seems to have empathy for the 95% of the population that are not millionaires . one day the millionaires will realize they are nothing in the scheme of things . do you think the Rothschild those that attend the builder burg foundation and those that control the money system care about little pincy under achieving millionaires yea right . until they wake up nothing changes. in the 1929 wall st crash all the wealth disapeard were did it go some body got it it did not Vaparise. the so called rich need to wake up they are nothing in this game .

5/10/2012 10:55:47 p.m.

Vicki wrote:

Aren't they meant to change the law first and then prosecute somebody, not just prosecute and try to manipulate the laws to fit their own end? No wonder Key gets to call Mr Cameron 'Jim' and does Key realise how silly him saying that looked?

5/10/2012 9:27:17 p.m.

Valleyman wrote:

Of course Dotcom will be discussed while Key is there,Key must think the people of nz are thick. The only reason Key is in the usa is because his puppet masters have jerked his strings & summoned him to discuss the situation & pressure him into extraditing Kim

5/10/2012 7:22:38 p.m.

the DR wrote:

does mr key not see a conflict of interest hear? with alleged memory loss and total lack of moral judgement

5/10/2012 3:58:09 p.m.

It's catching wrote:

Found more: 11 instances of "conspirators" unqualified by the word "alleged". This is not a "legal" document that should be put before a New Zealand Court, and I am surprised that His Honour Justice Raynor Asher did not require the author, armed with toothbrush, to attend and share Kim Dotcom's cell where they could sort out their differences for a few weeks!

5/10/2012 10:32:48 a.m.

DIMIT wrote:

Hollywood were responsible for mega-upload take-down! & our 3-strike Internet law, But Kim Dotcom is the least of our worries here. The biggest problem is how many of Hollywood's draconian Laws Key will sneak through with TPP? Key is selling us all down the River and all he can say is “I'd caution New Zealanders not to buy into conspiracy theories too much”? As far as Mr Dodd's assertion? “No one is arguing that whether or not we ought to deal with these rogue foreign criminal sites that steal American jobs and products," he said. "We're now arguing about how best to do this.” It's translation is: The World didn't lets us pass all our draconian SOPA, PIPA type Laws? Some let some of our Laws through in ACTA , but We are back with TPP & W

4/10/2012 10:33:12 p.m.

It's catching wrote:

Fact: The word "conspiracy" is in the Megaupload indictment 347 times. Why write anything else in it??? "Everything's got a moral, if only you can find it" [Lewis Carroll]

4/10/2012 7:43:34 p.m.

Neuron Leak wrote:

Conspiracy theories abound and a lot of them are good guesses. But most Hollywood conspiracy theories miss the mark on one fundamental point. Being that plots and stories can be (and are) wirelessly piped directly into the heads of film producers, directors and performers with advanced neurosynaptic technology while sophisticated imaging and audio devices are capable of manipulating digital content on screen remotely (ie digital film and movie transmissions can be intercepted and manipulated by remote communications bureaus while film and movie staff can become trained zombie crews producing subtle political propaganda). These techniques are also used to harass and torture political dissidents, during the interrogations of prisoners held without trial and sometimes deployed to pursue citizens of interest where arrest would be unlawful.

4/10/2012 7:16:08 p.m.

Please get it right wrote:

US copyright law is weaker than New Zealand law because large commercial operations in the US benefit from weaker law (for example Hollywood film studios). By comparison New Zealand copyright law tends toward potential for slightly stronger protections that could have developed in favour of supporting smaller (more vulnerable) creative enterprises that produce original work. The US copyright dilemma in Dotcom's situation involves deciding whether US copyright laws should be strengthened to make third party service providers liable for user infringements or whether copyright laws should remain as they are in the US for the benefit of much larger US operatives. US courts could favour Dotcom under current US law, with the worst case scenario being an increase in provision for double standards that allow innovative business entrepreneurs such as Dotcom to be prosecuted while Hollywood film studios continue to rip-off and appropriate content from every poor bugger with a good idea and scant resources.