West African nation Gabon plans blocking the mooted creation of a new website from file sharing service Megaupload that could use the African country’s internet domain name ‘.ga’.

US authorities have disabled www.megaupload.com, after charges of a conspiracy to commit racketeering, copyright infringement and money laundering have been levelled at Megaupload founder and German tech entrepreneur Kim Dotcom.

Subsequently, Dotcom - who is based in New Zealand - is to face an extradition hearing in March 2013, which could ultimately see him being put on trial in the US.

But Dotcom has said on his Twitter account that he intends re-spawning Megaupload in January as www.me.ga, a new site that he proposes should use Gabon's country code top level domain name.

Dotcom has said he wants to circumvent US laws by hosting the website outside of the United States.

However, Gabon’s officials have scuppered Dotcom’s plans.

"I have instructed my departments... to immediately suspend the site www.me.ga," said Gabon’s minister of communications, Blaise Louembe.

"Gabon cannot serve as a platform or screen for committing acts aimed at violating copyrights, nor be used by unscrupulous people," Louembe added.

Meanwhile, Dotcom took to his Twitter account to express his frustration at Gabon’s announcement, and he alleged the decision had been taken as a consequence of pressure from the US, and even multinational media group Vivendi.

The top-level domain name of Gabon is controlled by Gabon Telecom, of which Maroc Telecom has a stake. Maroc Telecom, in turn, is owned by Vivendi.

Dotcom, however, tweeted, “Don't worry. We have an alternative domain."