SYDNEY, Australia: Kim Dotcom has lost his latest appeal to stop his extradition to the United States, where he faces criminal charges linked to the now-defunct file-sharing website Megaupload, which he founded.

Dotcom, who was born in Germany and has residency in New Zealand, has been fighting extradition since 2012 after an FBI-led raid on his mansion in Auckland.

He was appealing against a 2024 decision by New Zealand authorities to send him to the U.S. On July 1, the Court of Appeal ruled that there was no legal reason to block his extradition.

Dotcom still has one final option to challenge the decision by appealing to New Zealand's highest court, the Supreme Court.

He did not immediately respond to requests for comment through his lawyer.

U.S. authorities allege that Dotcom and three other Megaupload executives caused losses of more than US$500 million to film studios and music companies by encouraging users to upload and share copyrighted content. The website is said to have earned over $175 million from this activity.

During the hearing, Dotcom's lawyer, Ron Mansfield, argued that it was unfair and improper that authorities chose to charge two other executives, Ortmann and van der Kolk, differently from Dotcom. He also said legal guidelines were not properly followed.

However, the court found that Dotcom's role was different. It said he was the main figure in the operation and gained the most financially, and that, unlike the others, he was unwilling to admit to the agreed facts.

The judgment also said that New Zealand law does not allow a local prosecution to replace an ongoing extradition process. It noted that the country lacks a law barring extradition when a case could be handled domestically.

In comparison, the decision to prosecute the other two men in New Zealand was allowed because the United States agreed to it and it supported international cooperation.

The court said the decision followed the principles of international cooperation, which are central to extradition cases.