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Kim Dotcom or Kim Kardashian?

Will Kim Dotcom's celebrity do him a nasty turn?
Written by Darren Greenwood, Contributor

Whoever said that Germans don't have a sense of humour never came across Kim Dotcom.

In the months since his arrest early this year, when helicopters swooped down on his Auckland mansion, New Zealand has certainly been entertained by a colourful and larger-than-life figure.

Indeed, Kim Dotcom has become a cult figure and the people's hero.

His battle has been billed as a Robin Hood-style fight against Big Hollywood, one that has put Dotcom on the side of the downtrodden masses, even if he has made tens of millions with his services.

And we cheered last week's court victory, which declared that January's raid was illegal.

But now, Dotcom has become a celebrity like the most empty-headed Hollywood starlet. Forget the serious stuff over copyright and piracy; it seems that Kim Dotcom is the new Kim Kardashian, famous for being famous.

We see him having pool parties.

We see him enjoying nights out on the town and making TV appearances.

We see him going to watch Flight of the Conchords.

We see him marching to save a TV station.

No wonder Brian Edwards, media commentator and former advisor to ex-PM Helen Clark, warned us this week that Kim Dotcom is getting a little overexposed.

New Zealanders like the little guy, Edwards said, especially when that little guy takes on the big boys, but they like modesty and humility, too. So, if he's not careful, Kim Dotcom could lose the goodwill he has gained from Kiwis over the year.

And without that goodwill, any hopes for political intervention to avoid extradition to the United States seem slim.

So perhaps it's time for Dotcom to step back a little from the spotlight, and focus on the issues at hand. His freedom, and our internet freedom, just might well depend on it.

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