The US government has shut down top file hosting service Megaupload and had its founder arrested on suspicion of causing $500 million in lost revenue to content sellers.
The Megaupload sites were managed through an international network of companies, head-quartered in Hong Kong.
Although not a US company and not managed from the US, the fact that it maintained US servers and supplied millions of US visitors with illegal downloads was considered ample legal grounds for the federal government to move against it.
The indictments centre on German millionaire hacker Kim Schmitz, or “Kimble,” who has led a colourful and exceptionally crooked career centred on computer crime and fraud, having been convicted at various times and in various countries of credit card fraud, insider trading and embezzlement, making him a less than savoury poster child for Internet liberties.
The US government claims that in 2010 alone he made some $42 million from piracy-related activities.
He was reportedly arrested at his “$30 million” mansion in New Zealand, pending extradition to the US to face trial.
5 other less interesting Megaupload executives have been indicted, of whom 3 have already been arrested. All of those indicted were citizens of various European countries and resided either in Europe, Hong Kong or New Zealand.
Strangely, Megaupload’s American CEO and noted rapper Swizz Beatz is apparently not named in the indictments.
Megaupload was still protesting its total innocence and holding out for a “dialogue” with copyright holders up until the moment its site was taken offline:
“The fact is that the vast majority of Mega’s 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.”
Megaupload had in recent years begun trying to legitimise itself by soliciting various mysterious endorsements from famous US celebrities, efforts which evidently proved futile.
Whilst no objective statistics exist as to just how much of the content hosted on Megaupload’s servers was legitimate (Megaupload asserts the “vast majority” was legitimate whilst its attackers maintain the exact opposite), any honest evaluation would probably have to conclude that the main reason for its popularity was that torrents are a hassle, and that the vast majority of the material it hosted was less than legitimate.
The arrests come only a day after high profile protests by various other top websites over newly proposed US laws designed to grant copyright holders greater powers to police the Internet.
Both of the proposed laws now appear to be in some difficulty, but there is much speculation that the timing of the arrests is intended to be symbolic.
However, as the Megaupload arrests all took place using current laws, they have not only further inflamed Internet opinion against SOPA, PIPA and the major copyright lobbies behind them, but have also apparently demonstrated that US copyright holders are quite able to launch crippling legal attacks on internationally managed sites using only existing laws.
Megaupload’s eventual fate remains unclear – the fate of piracy-related sites in similar positions has varied greatly, from those that apparently sustained all legal assaults unscathed (such as The Pirate Bay) and others which successfully sold out to copyright holders, to those whose business models simply collapsed under a hail of litigation and criminal charges.
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Proof that SOPA/PIPA are unnecessary. They're ambiguously worded tools to be exploited.
They're not yet convicted. So no proof. Yet.
this had NOTHING to do with SOPA. Research
...do you not know how to read you?
he's saying SOPA is not needed. jesus fucking tards.
It took months of work by dozens of people at the DoJ (in other words, a fuckton of money) to get a site shut down. With SOPA, it would just take a phone call. Therefore, the content industry will still claim SOPA is necessary.
I've read it. It doesn't bother me but I am very antipiracy. Probably more so than most of the people on this site.
Well, it is tough for us in the developing world to get access to entertainment. So, at least for us, it is quite tough to think about a world without Megaupload. I mean, it is pretty fair to pay to get access to the shows that I want to see, but people should have in mind that in poor countries like mine, DDL and torrent are the only ways to get access to entertainment.
"Hello, Mr. Movie Maker, i came from a poor country, and it gives me the right of watching your movie without paying because i barely have money for my food!"
Falos mean Fallus in spanish ;)
? No one is implying SOPA is needed. . Dumbasses can understand SOPA is bad when someone tells them, but they can't tell when someone is saying it's bad if they need to read it.
>implying SOPA is needed
that's exactly what falos is saying. there is no need for SOPA/PIPA because laws are already in place to deal with IP theft. Read
Sadly all a nuke will do is quickly turn the world into a radioactive mess as america retaliaites withs the 40000 nukes is has in storage.
OH FOR GOD SAKE JUST NUKE AMERICA-WASHINGTON DC THEN PROBLEM SOLVE!
GET A PETITION TO SIGN AND SEND TO NOKOR AND IRAN!
Dumbass, he's saying that the Government doesn't have to come up with retarded laws to combat piracy, its completely possible for them to do so with current laws.
USA doesn't even have the Guts to go after China over copyright infigments and piracy they did for decades long ago.But they have the balls to go after a single person who has nothing to do with them.
It's clear they can circumvent anything they have in strict writing though. Also, a lot of international copyright laws are not always publicly available. A new anti-piracy online law for the international trade they're writing up is still shrouded in secrecy compared to SOPA/PIPA.
Not ,but once approved the U.S. gov can disable sites around the globe!
Now who gave this power to them?
And other Governments will leave this blank?
It was a demonstration of force of FBI and a warning that he can and nobody has the power to prevent!!
This proves how much are arrogant and don't have any respect with the rest of the world..
What the heck are you talking about? U.S. doesn't have any control over sites that are not based in their counrty.
That's how MegaUpload was taken out they had servers in the States
They can ask others Governments to take it down just like they can ask that criminals be extradite by those governments don't have to comply
And for that you think are willing to approve pipa & sopa?
Not only megaup but also filesonic (closed to share files)
Besides what makes you think that other Governments will not accept this precedent to profit even more with taxes?
Outside the bribe of estudios to local politics :P
Gah, megaporn's gone too Σ(゜д゜;)
the time when we could only fap to youtube's breastfeeding videos nears.
Time to stock up on porn.
Way ahead of you man. I've been hoarding the stuff like a pack rat for years. When the time comes, I'll be that one guy who has it all.
I got my mini hentai collection ready to go, I dunno who the character designer is for Oni Chichi but damn it man that man is a god, I love his design on the DFC girls he does :D
Anyone else know of any other titles s/he may have done? :O
with SOPA around, i doubt that will stay long enough...
@ long text: SOPA is NOT a good thing. You must be either brain damaged or have a serious mental illness.
you bastard... you want to martyrize our lolis...
Even if SOPA try to go after people who pirated movies in any country you think preventing one person is going to stop it?
What the hell is wrong with you Kokori?
I kind of understand what you're talking about but if SOPA/PIPA/OPEN take effect it will be a long time before they're taken down if at all.
you're right, about it's being hypothetical
and please stop being smart-ass
>and please stop being smart-ass
No. I'll continue to comment and discuss. That's why this function was invented.
It will be interesting to see if New Zealand actually turns him in. It's very unlikely though.
SOPA is actually a good thing though. The heavier the damage the better. Or maybe I'm too optimistic....
This is the scenario I am hoping for:
Right now, we already HAVE censorship on the net. And Washington already controls important services of the net. Smaller-Scale censorship like it could be the case with lolicon is actually widely accepted, as we know.
Now... maybe the net NEEDS a big 'BOOM!' situation with heavy casualties. If SOPA could provide that chance I'd be more than happy. A lot of people can't even imagine a life without youtube and Co. anymore.
So the consequence could be that we/you US folk could revoke SOPA after heavy protests. The way I see it, no one could attack lolicon or the freedom of the net anymore, for this incident would be burned in our minds.
But again.. this is only a hypothetical and optimistic scenario.
Is nothing sacred?
Finally! He sucked BIG TIME doing DDoS if you go over 100Mbps on download.
What the hell are you talking about?
i get 3.5mbps
CraP I can see the end of over 75% of my Internet usage gone D:
NOOOOOOOOOOO! not megaporn damn you USA damn you.
Indeed. They are going to cause world war 3.
spankwire is ok for now dude...
RUN BEFORE FBI'S CHINESE CAUGHT YOU !
spankwire is ok for now dude...
RUN BEFORE FBI'S CHINESE CAUGHT YOU !
oh great you are right
There's always youporn dude ^_^
fuck that, I need mine in HD!
then watch 4tube
No shit, Sherlock. Most "Mega" sites that feature some form of file sharing were owned/made by the Megaupload owners.
Wha--- that can't be righ-- lets see
*bookmark, Mega--
NooooooOOOooooOOOOoo000!
week 1: Founders of file hosting sites arrested
week 3: major downloaders arrested
week 6: minor downloaders arrested
week 10: riots occur
week 12: hundreds die
week 16: Riots turn into full scale civil war
week 18: goverment try to control with new biological warfare
week 20: thousands change in irrational way
week 25: millions get infected
week 27: 80% human population infected
week 28: remaining survivors gather in colonies, human population nearly extinct
Point: Goverment sucks
post apocalyptic world here we go!
okay, should i grab a gun or a blade ?
Grab both and duct tape the blade on the end of the gun or fuck it, go MGS3 and whittle down the grip of the gun with the knife and have BOTH "at the ready" XD
nuke everything, start from scratch.. fallout scenario
Where do I buy radaways? I wanna stock up on them XD and bunch of mines too! and a sniper! I'll be like the old dude in Minefield.
The Maya prophecy is right in 2012 it's the end of the world
i still renember playing the old fallouts ;(
Through all that, governments probably won't care.
Which is why it's funny when people gripe about Prime Ministers or Presidents as being solely responsible for everything. Even if they have unique ideas, it won't budge the entire government body.
And they called me crazy. WELL YOU WILL SEE WHO IS CRAZY WHEN THE INFECTED COME KNOCKING ON YOUR DOOR AND YOU DON'T HAVE A CHAINSAW UNDER YOUR BED!
28 Weeks Later is a zombie movie.
In real life, 28 Weeks Later is an apocalypse triggered by tyranny of corporations?
inb4movieparodyingreallife
Any chance this prediction can syncronize to December 21st so everyone can say stupid things about the Mayan calendar?
Point: Ron Paul will reduce government.
fuck republicans!
fuck ron paul, republicans, and evangelists. obama 2012!
JUST NUKE AMERICA-WASHINGTON DC THEN PROBLEM SOLVE!
GET A PETITION TO SIGN AND SEND TO NOKOR AND IRAN!!!
@18:35
You do realize that Obama was the one who signed the NDAA to go through right?
fuck obama; I'd rather the country not sink another 7trillion in debt
22:51 every country has, and will always have, debt.
fuck you bigot
no he won't.
Paul would just end up the latest example (but possibly the highest level example, being the President of the United States) of a lameduck executive unable to do anything because the executive branch doesn't run the entire show.
Paul would run head first into the exact same legislative branch that is currently being bribed into supporting SOPA/PIPA.
and there would be nothing Ron Paul could do about it, because Congress doesn't obey the Presidency.
wow -0.2 for two people who had different opinion with the great almighty daniel. nice respond.
Daniel you muthafucking cum licking fucktard go the fuck away as long as hollywood and the governnent continue to fuck things up for me I get to do whatever I want starting with making you not exist.
the president, democrats, and republicans are the rich people.
The President, The Democrats, The Republicans, don't run this country. Rich people do. Play Metal Gear Solid for more info!
so wait capitalism is bad? Well way to show that you are a socialist and want to steal stuff and therefor that your opinon is unimportant. You make something you deserve reward for it. You sit on your ass and do nothing and steal from people you deserve prison. SOPA is the kind of thing Paul would support as it is good for business which Paul would support.
Damn socialists and communists ruining the world piss me off.
@22:08 lots of truth there. More specifically, rich people with money to buy lobbyists, who in turn buy politicians.
Want the cycle to stop? Start praying for a new generation of Oswalds & Mansons. Cause until the people forcefully stand up to the people making these capitalist laws, nothing is going to change.
And that's how the movie "The Road" should've begun. Get your bibs out and start the cannibalism.
Point: Man fuck, the Mayan's the Mayan's were right!
Zombies fukken where ?