Orpheus Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 (edited) http://techland.time.com/2012/01/19/feds-shut-down-megaupload-com-file-sharing-website/ McLEAN, Va. (AP) One of the worlds largest file-sharing sites was shut down Thursday, and its founder and several company executives were charged with violating piracy laws, federal prosecutors said. An indictment accuses Megaupload.com of costing copyright holders more than $500 million in lost revenue from pirated films and other content. The indictment was unsealed one day after websites including Wikipedia and Craigslist shut down in protest of two congressional proposals intended to thwart online piracy. (MORE: The 12 Coolest Things We Saw at the Consumer Electronics Show) The Justice Department said in a statement said that Kim Dotcom, formerly known as Kim Schmitz, and three others were arrested Thursday in New Zealand at the request of U.S. officials. Two other defendants are at large. Megaupload was unique not only because of its massive size and the volume of downloaded content, but also because it had high-profile support from celebrities, musicians and other content producers who are most often the victims of copyright infringement and piracy. Before the website was taken down, it contained endorsements from Kim Kardashian, Alicia Keys and Kanye West, among others. (MORE: The 10 Most Dangerous Celebrities on the Internet) The Hong Kong-based company listed Swizz Beatz, a musician who married Keys in 2010, as its CEO. He was not named in the indictment and declined to comment through a representative. Before the site was taken down, it posted a statement saying allegations that it facilitated massive breaches of copyright laws were grotesquely overblown. The fact is that the vast majority of Megas Internet traffic is legitimate, and we are here to stay. If the content industry would like to take advantage of our popularity, we are happy to enter into a dialogue. We have some good ideas. Please get in touch, the statement said. (MORE: 10 Memorable Kodak Commercials) The site boasted 150 million registered users. A lawyer who represented the company in a lawsuit last year declined comment Thursday. Megaupload is considered a cyberlocker, in which users can upload and transfer files that are too large to send by email. Such sites can have perfectly legitimate uses. But the Motion Picture Association of America, which has campaigned for a crackdown on piracy, estimated that the vast majority of content being shared on Megaupload was in violation of copyright laws. The website allowed users to download films, TV shows, games, music and other content for free, but made money by charging subscriptions to people who wanted access to faster download speeds or extra content. The website also sold advertising. (MORE: 10 Prominent Websites Protesting SOPA and PIPA) The indictment was returned in the Eastern District of Virginia, which claimed jurisdiction in part because some of the alleged pirated materials were hosted on leased servers in Ashburn, Va. Dotcom, a resident of both Hong Kong and New Zealand, and a dual citizen of Finland and Germany, made more than $42 million from the conspiracy in 2010 alone, according to the indictment. Dotcom is founder, former CEO and current chief innovation officer of Megaupload. Read more: http://techland.time.com/2012/01/19/feds-shut-down-megaupload-com-file-sharing-website/#ixzz1jwb1Uth2 What. The. Hell. The worst part of this is the eerily-timed shutdown literally in wake of the internet-wide protests. And all this shit is purely due to a few corrupt and pissy corrupt executives at the top of some record labels feeling like they can't use their garbage business model anymore. And they've failed to innovate and evolve with the times. I'm now missing some uploads that I was using as backups. There is going to be blood, MPAA and RIAA. The head honchos and legal departments of those corporations deserve nothing less than death. Edited January 19, 2012 by tripsis I was going to eat hot dogs for dinner tonight. I think I will settle for cereal. OPEN WIDE HERE COMES THE HELICOPTER. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kimberly Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 As Luelinks would say, we are at Code Kermit. I repeat, we are at Code Kermit. I'm more interested in how the courts will play out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirschen Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 There went one of the sources for my anime fix. I don't like that this happened, especially at a bad timing with the SOPA and PIPA protests, which were already steaming. This is a sad day indeed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ambler Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Wat. ^^My blog of EoC PvM, lols and Therapy.^^My livestream- Currently: Offline :(Offical Harpy Therapist of the Mad[hide=Lewtations]Barrows drops: Dharok's helm x2, Guthan's helm, Ahrim's top, Hood and skirt, Torag's hammers, Karils skirt, Karil's top, Torag's helm, Verac's skirt, Verac's Flail, Dharok's Platebody.Dag kings drops: Lost count! :wall:4k+ Glacors, 7 Ragefires, 4 Steadfasts, 4 Glaivens, 400+ shards![/hide] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obfuscator Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Interesting. "It's not a rest for me, it's a rest for the weights." - Dom Mazzetti Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alg Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 What. The. Hell. The worst part of this is the eerily-timed shutdown literally in wake of the internet-wide protests. And all this shit is purely due to a few corrupt and pissy corrupt executives at the top of some record labels feeling like they can't use their garbage business model anymore. And they've failed to innovate and evolve with the times. I'm now missing some uploads that I was using as backups.I'm against piracy and don't even like this move. They shut down a site with legal uses instead of, I dunno, going after actual, unapologetic piracy sites. That said, Internet, please don't do anything stupid. Every time something like this happens, some group does something to make it worse. :mellow: I painted some stuff and put it on tumblr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
i_love_burritos Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Heard about this 15 minutes ago. WHAT THE [bLEEP]. The US government sucks *[bleep] and [bleep]s people in the ass at the same time, ON A REGULAR BASIS. People ought to be up in arms about this. This a loud and clear [bLEEP] YOU to the Anti-SOPA/ Anti-PIPA protest that the internet got so involved in. People ought to be furious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tripsis Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 I guess I can't say I'm surprised, considering everything that's going on lately :wall: :wall: Still really, really disappointing. - 99 fletching | 99 thieving | 99 construction | 99 herblore | 99 smithing | 99 woodcutting - - 99 runecrafting - 99 prayer - 125 combat - 95 farming - - Blog - DeviantART - Book Reviews & Blog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howlin0001 Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 It doesn't really make much sense tbh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kimberly Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 That said, Internet, please don't do anything stupid. Every time something like this happens, some group does something to make it worse. :mellow: The moment that Megaupload, or another service like it, is created in its place, we damn ourselves in the eyes of the RIAA lobbyists. It's a lose-lose situation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alg Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 That said, Internet, please don't do anything stupid. Every time something like this happens, some group does something to make it worse. :mellow: The moment that Megaupload, or another service like it, is created in its place, we damn ourselves in the eyes of the RIAA lobbyists. It's a lose-lose situation.I mean, if some group DDoSed some record company's website or something, that would give them more fuel to use against the internet as a whole. New sites are going to pop up, of course, but retaliating in some way is just going to turn people that were on the fence about the issue against it. TL:DR: The GIFT is going to kill us all. I painted some stuff and put it on tumblr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
i_love_burritos Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 "Megaupload is currently engaged in a lawsuit with Universal over the promotional video and Universals efforts to have it removed from YouTube. As part of the crackdown on Megaupload, 20 search warrants were executed in nine countries, including the United States. About $50 million in assets were also seized, as well as a number of servers and 18 domain names, the authorities said." What the [bleep]. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bows Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Doesn't affect me much, but oh well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
i_love_burritos Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Doesn't affect me much, but oh well.If that's what everyone thought about ______ issue, then nothing would get done, ever. Bad attitude to have. * that first they came for the ___, spiel and all that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H2PM Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 "Let your anger be as a monkey in a piñata... hiding amongst the candy... hoping the kids don't break through with the stick." - Master Tang Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaffy1 Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 As far as I recall, megaupload took down copyrighted material whenever a claim was made. Just hope other host sites don't follow. :unsure: Tip.It Website Crew Leader[hide=Quotes]I love it how Jafje comes outa nowhere and answers my questionsHehe now we know what real life does...drugs, drugs, more drugs. Thank god we are addicted to something that won't kill us. [/hide] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sy_Accursed Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Funny thing is: Anonymous, the hacking group, took down universal and department of justice hours after this. Operation Gold Sparkles :: Chompy Kills :: Full Profound :: Champions :: Barbarian Notes :: Champions Tackle Box :: MA RewardsDragonkin Journals :: Ports Stories :: Elder Chronicles :: Boss Slayer :: Penance King :: Kal'gerion Titles :: Gold Statue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alg Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Funny thing is: Anonymous, the hacking group, took down universal and department of justice hours after this.... Exactly what I was talking about :wall: I painted some stuff and put it on tumblr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hedgehog Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 This sucks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crocefisso Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Doesn't affect me much, but oh well.If that's what everyone thought about ______ issue, then nothing would get done, ever. Bad attitude to have. * that first they came for the ___, spiel and all that. Yet most people have Bows' approach to most issues; eg, I wonder how many of us here have played an active part in supporting women's emancipation in Saudi Arabia? Perhaps Bows is too busy reaching a peace accord in the Congo to care about the machinations of the US Congress (say I with tongue in cheek). "Imagine yourself surrounded by the most horrible cripples and maniacs it is possible to conceive, and you may understand a little of my feelings with these grotesque caricatures of humanity about me." - H.G. Wells, The Island of Doctor Moreau Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 FUUUUUU- That's were most of my mods are hosted on. (For TF2 and Minecraft) And my Anime. EVERYONE! Torrent the shit out of everything! NOW! Popoto.~<3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RpgGamer Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Aww :( I loved megaupload. I swear, if they take megavideo, I will take violent action. Quote Quote Anyone who likes tacos is incapable of logic. Anyone who likes logic is incapable of tacos. PSA: SaqPrets is an Estonian Dude Steam: NippleBeardTM Origin: Brand_New_iPwn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cowman_133 Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Aww :( I loved megaupload. I swear, if they take megavideo, I will take violent action. MegaUpload, MegaVideo and all of its sister sites are all gone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sbrideau Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 If they shut down a site that has a system very similar to youtube to take down copyrighted videos, I guess Youtube might be next. This sucks. I need to find an anti-sopa signature. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dark Lord Posted January 20, 2012 Share Posted January 20, 2012 Boo hoo. Some celebrity made $999993 instead of $99999999 due to piracy. Now let's shit on everyone and lower people's quality of life by removing popular sources of entertainment and send bored teenagers to prison for uploading/downloading/watching a video. Personally, if I find out that a certain politician voted in favor of bullshit like this, they won't have my vote. Unpatriotic [bleep]. SWAG Mayn U wanna be like me but U can't be me cuz U ain't got ma swagga on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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