Kim Dotcom<\/a>, the Megaupload founder and hard-partying face of early 2010s online piracy, is finally headed to the US. Reuters<\/em> reports<\/a> that New Zealand\u2019s justice minister signed an extradition order on Thursday to end the entrepreneur\u2019s nearly 13-year legal battle, paving the way for the German-born Dotcom to face charges<\/a> from the US government.<\/p>\n \u201cI considered all of the information carefully, and have decided that Mr Dotcom should be surrendered to the U.S. to face trial,\u201d Goldsmith said in a statement. The decision came more than six years after a New Zealand court ruled Dotcom could be extradited to the US<\/a>, paving the way for appeals that culminated in today\u2019s decision.<\/p>\n Once the 13th most visited site online, the file-hosting hub Megaupload was a hotbed for pirated content. In early 2012, American authorities charged Dotcom and six others with racketeering, copyright infringement, money laundering and copyright distribution. The US indictment claimed Megaupload cost copyright holders $500 million in damages while making $175 million from ads and premium subscriptions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n