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which journalist John Campbell said: “It’s hard to imagine a less subtle way to tell a country you’re there.”

HAVING JUST ARRIVED in New Zealand, Dotcom came close to being removed almost immediately. Shortly after arrival, his lawyers revealed he had been legally unable to tell them during the immigration process of charges in Hong Kong relating to share ownership. The charges, which resulted in a $1200 fine, threw Immigration officials into a spin. Deportation was a prospect, and in the months which followed they considered cancelling Dotcom’s residency. Throughout, the Immigration Minister Coleman was kept posted. Again, briefings were made and again they carried multiple deletions relating to information from offshore governments and the possibility of law enforcement action being taken. By March, they had decided against deportation. Dotcom could stay.

Also that month, on 9 March 2011, Justice Minister Simon Power was visited by MPAA Asia-wide executive Mike Ellis, a former police superintendent in Hong Kong and an expert in extradition. The meeting serves to illustrate the ongoing work in reviewing the Copyright Act and how important the issue was to Hollywood. It is not unusual for interested bodies to lobby but with The Hobbit such an important factor for the government just months before, it could be expected Mr Ellis would be paid close heed when he came calling. That was also the month, as later revealed by Detective Inspector Wormald, the FBI made its first formal approach to the police. This was five months after the SIS had written to alert police of the interest shown in Dotcom by the FBI.

The MPAA was about to enter a new phase. In the US, it had just hired as chief executive the retired Senator Chris Dodd, Vice-President Biden’s old friend. On 29 March 2011, one week into his new job, Dodd gave a speech at the National Association of Theatre Owners’ Cinema Con which pushed the MPAA’s vision which played the apple pie card and entwined America and Hollywood’s fortunes.

“I am deeply concerned that too many people see movie theft as a victimless crime. After all, how much economic damage could there be to some rich studio executive or Hollywood star if a movie is stolen or someone watches a film that was stolen? It is critical that we aggressively educate people to understand that movie theft is not just a Hollywood problem. It is an American problem. Going to the movies together as

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