[Back to the takedown index](https://takedownindex.org/takedowns) # Megaupload seizure January 2012, Piracy and IP Led by [United States Department of Justice](https://takedownindex.org/organizations/united-states-department-of-justice) Extended pass entry, last reviewed August 21, 2026 What was taken down? 18 domains were seized; servers in multiple countries were taken offline or frozen pending the case. [See what happened](#what-happened) What happened to the people? Officials reported 7 charged. 1 charged and 4 apprehended named in the public record. Group accounted for: Partial [See people and accountability](#people) Did it stay down? Not established in the public record. No later activity is recorded against this entry. [See what happened afterward](#afterward) ## What happened DOJ indicted Megaupload and associated individuals for criminal copyright infringement and money laundering, seizing 18 domains and coordinating searches and arrests, including in New Zealand. **Date:** January 2012 **Target:** Megaupload, file hosting service **Activity:** Piracy and IP **Operational lead:** DOJ **Partners** FBI, NZ Police[[1]](#source-1) - [Federal Bureau of Investigation](https://takedownindex.org/organizations/federal-bureau-of-investigation), investigating - [New Zealand Police](https://takedownindex.org/organizations/new-zealand-police), arresting **Jurisdiction:** Not established **Outcome:** 18 domains were seized; servers in multiple countries were taken offline or frozen pending the case. **Status:** Completed **Legal mechanism:** Federal criminal indictment (E.D. Va.); domain seizure warrants; New Zealand search/arrest warrants **Group accounted for:** Partial ### Infrastructure 18 domains seized. | Identifier | Recorded as | Status | Notes | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Not published | 18 domains | Seized, United States | 18 domains associated with the Megaupload service.[[1]](#source-1) | Domains and onion addresses are shown defanged. Where the record gives a count but no identifier, the count is shown in place of one. This list carries only what appears in the cited sources. ## People and accountability Named in the public record: 1 charged and 4 apprehended. Figures count individuals named in charging documents and official statements, each person once per outcome. People alleged to be involved but not publicly identified are not counted. Reported and named. Officials reported 7 charged. 1 charged and 4 apprehended named in the public record. The two figures come from different places and are never added together. Officials publish a headline total, and this index counts only the individuals it can name from the cited record. #### Bram van der Kolk Megaupload executive. Current public status: Arrested. **Charging authority:** Not established in the public record **Main charges:** Not established in the public record **Case number:** Not established in the public record **Arresting authority:** New Zealand Police **Arrest location:** Auckland, New Zealand **Extradition status:** Not established in the public record **Conviction or plea:** Not established in the public record **Sentence:** Not established in the public record **Segment:** Core operator **Sources:** [[1]](#source-1) **Full record:** [Everything indexed for Bram van der Kolk](https://takedownindex.org/people/bram-van-der-kolk) #### Finn Batato Megaupload executive. Current public status: Arrested. **Charging authority:** Not established in the public record **Main charges:** Not established in the public record **Case number:** Not established in the public record **Arresting authority:** New Zealand Police **Arrest location:** Auckland, New Zealand **Extradition status:** Not established in the public record **Conviction or plea:** Not established in the public record **Sentence:** Not established in the public record **Segment:** Core operator **Sources:** [[1]](#source-1) **Full record:** [Everything indexed for Finn Batato](https://takedownindex.org/people/finn-batato) #### Kim Dotcom Founder and controlling figure of Megaupload. Current public status: Charged and Arrested. **Charging authority:** United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia **Main charges:** Racketeering conspiracy; Copyright infringement conspiracy; Money laundering conspiracy **Case number:** Not established in the public record **Arresting authority:** New Zealand Police **Arrest location:** Auckland, New Zealand **Extradition status:** Not established in the public record **Conviction or plea:** Not established in the public record **Sentence:** Not established in the public record **Segment:** Core operator **Sources:** [[1]](#source-1) **Full record:** [Everything indexed for Kim Dotcom](https://takedownindex.org/people/kim-dotcom) #### Mathias Ortmann Megaupload executive. Current public status: Arrested. **Charging authority:** Not established in the public record **Main charges:** Not established in the public record **Case number:** Not established in the public record **Arresting authority:** New Zealand Police **Arrest location:** Auckland, New Zealand **Extradition status:** Not established in the public record **Conviction or plea:** Not established in the public record **Sentence:** Not established in the public record **Segment:** Core operator **Sources:** [[1]](#source-1) **Full record:** [Everything indexed for Mathias Ortmann](https://takedownindex.org/people/mathias-ortmann) Group accounted for: Partial Seven individuals indicted, including Kim Dotcom; extradition proceedings from New Zealand were protracted and not fully resolved for years. [See the organizations and roles behind this action](https://takedownindex.org/takedowns/megaupload-seizure/organizations) ## What happened afterward Not established in the public record. No later activity is recorded against this entry. ## Sources Numbered markers throughout this entry link to the source that supports the claim beside them. ### Official sources 1. [Megaupload indictment and seizure announcement](https://takedownindex.org/sources/us-doj-usao-edva-megaupload-indictment-and-seizure-announcement) US DOJ / USAO EDVA, January 19, 2012, Source grade S2 Establishes the 18-domain seizure, the seven-defendant indictment, and coordinated New Zealand arrests. No address recorded for this source. Publisher, title, and date are given so it can be retrieved from the publisher. Coverage note. Added from deep-research aggregation pass (reports covering ~75-78 worldwide incidents). Not independently re-verified source-by-source in the same manner as the original 38-incident core; source\_quality is capped at S2/P2 pending a dedicated verification pass, per the project's own recommended-next-steps methodology. Research context ## How this entry was checked This entry came from a broader aggregation pass and has not been independently verified source by source. Its sources are graded no higher than P2 or S2, and most carry no address yet. Treat the figures as a research lead rather than a settled record. Source review: Extended pass, not yet verified Sources cited: 1 Research cutoff: August 20, 2026 Last reviewed August 21, 2026 See also [About the Internet Takedown Index](https://takedownindex.org/about) Related entries - [Coreflood botnet disruption](https://takedownindex.org/takedowns/coreflood-botnet-disruption) - [Backpage.com seizure](https://takedownindex.org/takedowns/backpage-com-seizure) - [Hydra Market server seizure](https://takedownindex.org/takedowns/hydra-market-server-seizure) Report updates or corrections Help keep this record accurate. [Submit feedback](https://takedownindex.org/about#corrections-and-updates)