Richard O’Dwyer has ended his two-year battle against extradition to the US with a £20,000 settlement.
O’Dwyer was targeted by US authorities over his TVShack.net website, which linked to places people could watch TV shows online. He was accused of copyright infringement, and faced extradition.
Last month, O’Dwyer accepted a “deferred prosecution” deal, which meant he would avoid extradition and a court trial. Under that deal, he won’t get a criminal record.
I still maintain I never thought I was committing a crime
At the start of the case, US authorities told UK courts that O’Dwyer had made $230,000 in advertising on the site over three years. The £20,000 settlement represents the profits he made from the site, according to The Independent, and will be divided up among the companies whose copyright was infringed by O’Dwyer’s website.
“I’m happy it’s finally over,” O’Dwyer told the BBC. “I still maintain I never thought I was committing a crime… I’m glad the US has decided to drop the case. It’s a pity the UK wasn’t able to resolve this.”
Jim Killock, the executive director of the Open Rights Group, said O’Dwyer’s campaign against extradition had been “heroic”. He added: “Extradition is an extreme response to copyright infringement.”
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