[UPDATE] Feds Take Down Megaupload

[Baneat]

And what were they doing to supposedly "encourage" and "reward" pirates again, besides owning a file hosting service very much like youtube?

The indictment accuses the suspects of being members of "the Mega Conspiracy, a worldwide criminal organization whose members engaged in criminal copyright infringement and money laundering on a massive scale."

the indictment noted, "For much of its operation, the Mega Conspiracy has offered an 'Uploader Rewards' Program, which promised premium subscribers transfers of cash and other financial incentives to upload popular works, including copyrighted works, to computer servers under the Mega Conspiracy's direct control and for the Conspiracy's ultimate financial benefit."

That.

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/justice-fbi-crack-megaupload/story?id=15396526#.TxirWfnNlGV

MU hasn't had uploader rewards in over 8 months.

Probably shouldn't have commited that crime 8 months ago then.

It's not a crime.

 

[Kopikatsu]

You know, does this mean that they can take down The Pirate Bay whenever they feel like?

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

What's the point of trying to legalize a massive takedown like this if they're going to do it anyway? I mean, why even bother with the pretense of legitimacy at this point?

Well, recent US government history would show that they like nothing better than to wait for their proposals to be declared illegal, and then doing it anyway. I guess they just like to troll the international community at this point.

 

[Dastardly]

Feds Take Down Megaupload

We also heard there's crime sometimes in Ohio. So we shut down Ohio.

 

[Monsterfurby]

This is the kind of thing that NOT EVEN CHINA would do. Say what you want about Chinese Internet censorship, but at least they keep to their - thoroughly codified - law.

The US are just making things up as they go along.

 

[maninahat]

Haha! Yes! Finally some god damn consequences against those who actually deserve it in this whole piracy thing. Stop going after freaking google and youtube and go after sites like this!

What about the millions that used these sites for perfectly legal means? The type of people that far outweighed the pirates?

It could be said that megaupload should have thought of that themselves, before they allowed all the illegal stuff to incriminate their business.

 

[RedEyesBlackGamer]

Feds Take Down Megaupload

We also heard there's crime sometimes in Ohio. So we shut down Ohio.

OP: So the U.S. is playing international bully for the music and movie industry again. Wonderful.

 

[maninahat]

Haha! Yes! Finally some god damn consequences against those who actually deserve it in this whole piracy thing. Stop going after freaking google and youtube and go after sites like this!

Your joking right? If they can set precedent laws with this youtube could well be next with all the anime and music content on there...

No slippery slope bullshit that was actually a threat with SOPA. This is a single takedown of a single site giving blatant disregard for piracy laws and, with this new revelation, was actually encouraging it and giving out benefits to their users for doing it.

There is a distinct difference between MegaUpload's objective and Youtube's. Youtube actually gives a fuck about enforcing piracy laws. Megaupload encouraged breaking it.

Can you stop your corporate bullshitting?

Its obvious that this is a reaction of Megauploads fight against SOPA, not to mention that they planned a new model of down loading music, that would have evaded the big companys and actually got most profits to the singer, instead of the usual rather small slice they get.

Megaupload, just like youtube, always deleted illegal content, every upload, that was found and reported, was taken down. Claiming that the reward system would just have been used by pirates is just dumb as hell, there was a ton of free games, videos, gamemods, pictures and music on those servers, actually a good way for some young and upstarting musician to get viewmoney from youtube aswell as downloadmoney from megaupload.

So instead of puking out Fox News, you should maybe use your head for more than just wearing a hat.

You'd be fooling yourself if you thought Megaupload does a good job of preventing illegal content. Though you'll find lots of copywrite breaching material uploaded onto youtube, youtube makes far more effort to take that stuff down, whereas megaupload tends to act only if something is reported (and one can hardly expect pirates to be doing any reporting in the first place).

And no, I don't see how it is "obvious" that this is tied to SOPA, beyond the timing. The guy you're wailing on is not some corporate shill. He just dislikes piracy, like honest people should.

 

[Dastardly]

OP: So the U.S. is playing international bully for the music and movie industry again. Wonderful.

In fairness, nearly every interaction I've witnessed with the Mega- sites has been people getting hold of protected content. In fact, I can't think of a single example that I've seen of someone using it legitimately. So, I'm not losing any sleep over Megaupload.

What I don't like is that they're choosing this moment to test the waters. They're picking an easy target, one that a lot of people could agree sort of "deserves it," and they're striking right when the most people are watching. If this sticks, it will make them bolder.

 

[Beryl77]

Haha! Yes! Finally some god damn consequences against those who actually deserve it in this whole piracy thing. Stop going after freaking google and youtube and go after sites like this!

What about the millions that used these sites for perfectly legal means? The type of people that far outweighed the pirates?

It could be said that megaupload should have thought of that themselves, before they allowed all the illegal stuff to incriminate their business.

People use postal service for crime! Close it all down!
Criminals use cars to escape from crimesceense, or kill other people with them! Destroy all the cars and sue the car manufacturers for not taking better care!
Terrorists use planes to terrorize people! Blow up all the airplanes and imprison everyone who works for the airlines!
Do I have to go on?

This is NEVER an excuse for something like this. Megaupload was never intendet for piracy. They delete illegal files, just like Youtube for example. But do you have any idea of the amount of data that people upload there daily? NO ONE has the manpower to check every. single. file.

Also, could you give me the source for your claim that they "allowed" it to happen?

 

[Hugga_Bear]

What's the point of trying to legalize a massive takedown like this if they're going to do it anyway? I mean, why even bother with the pretense of legitimacy at this point?

Plan A failed, this is plan B. Also known as "fuck legality, do it anyway".
Anon have made their response (and are still making it). Various groups are quick to throw their support behind them and there are rumours of something darker stirring in the deeps.

They really shouldn't have done that.

Seriously though this could escalate. A fool move, whoever chose now to do this is a bleeding moron, half the damned internet is up in arms over SOPA and just as they start beating it back you choose to try and carry its policies through anyway? Can you say "bad move"?
Not to even mention the damned indictments. All they've done is give support to their opposition, Anons had a plan for this in the works for some time, they enact it now and everyone jumps behind them. Whatever I feel (and I back Anonymous on this one) it's a fucking fool move on the side of the government.

 

[MetallicaRulez0]

Megaupload's side projects, Megavideo, Megapix, Megabox, and yes, even Megaporn have all been taken down as well.

 

[XMark]

Just to clarify, the mega upload employees live in New Zealand?
Just another example of The American Government's Cultural imperialism; they have to impose their national laws on the rest of the world.

Haven't you heard? The US can go and take any country's citizen that they want and we just have to bend over and take it. Look up Marc Emery.

 

[Callate]

Um, I'm pretty sure we already did this loop of the circuit with VCRs. And the courts said, "You don't get to destroy a technology just because it can be used illegally when it has perfectly legitimate uses." Do you think this is going to turn out differently?

I wish the Feds would stop thinking they're all Elliot Ness...

 

[Laser Priest]

SO IT BEGINS.

But yeah, if any of you would like to lead a violent revolution, I will gladly provide you with legions of the undead.

 

[LZeroK]

Accusations =/= Proof.


Just throwing that out there.

Exactly, but it seems like we have someone to think otherwise.

I'm not going to say who... *cough*Awexsome*cough*

 

[gyroscopeboy]

After yesterday I get the feeling this is going to get messy real fast. You have to consider just how much stuff on there WASN'T illegal and they just locked it all down in the blink of an eye. Plenty of people are not going to be happy with this.

Yep. To get at some suspected pirates, they shut down an entire site that's chock full of people using it for perfectly legal means.

Fucking unreal.

And I'm willing to be a good chunk of people downloading those suspected copyright infringing material were doing so because it wasn't available in their region. Quite a bit of people use Megavideo to watch TV shows/movies that aren't available in their country.

I actually watched the whole first season of Archer on there because it wasn't out in Australia!

 

[Hitchmeister]

To the people who keep asking, "If they can do this, why do they need SOPA?" They had to convince a grand jury to go along with this travesty. With SOPA, that little detail gets thrown out and they can do it lots more. SOPA lets them shut down sites, and if that's inconvenient, break the whole internet, just anytime anyone claims a copyright they hold has been infringed. Proof of owning the copyright and/or any infringement comes later.

Oh and, "Well they wouldn't actually run wild with the abuse of power SOPA would grant them, so people needn't get so upset." Yeah, right.