Megaupload file-sharing site shut down

[vienna]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-16642369

This was long in coming, but, still, it is rather a frightening preview of a possible future unde SOPA & PIPA... :hmmm:

[Dowly]

This was long in coming, but, still, it is rather a frightening preview of a possible future unde SOPA & PIPA... :hmmm:

No, it's not "a frightening preview of a possible future unde SOPA & PIPA..."

Just another day in the office for the anti-piracy peeps.

[Oberon]

Welcome to the future

[Lord_magerius]

Nooooo, my files! :stare:

[kiwi_2005]

Nooooo, my movies :O:

[Ducimus]

Never used the place myself. Hated the pop ups.

[antikristuseke]

They are charged with money loundering?

[kiwi_2005]

They even hitting them here


Internet tycoon arrested in NZ


An internet millionaire with New Zealand residency who founded one of the world's largest internet file-sharing sites has been arrested in Auckland.
Kim Dotcom, formerly known as Kim Schmitz, and three others were arrested in New Zealand at the request of US officials.
A US indictment accuses Mr Dotcom's 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.


Megaupload's celebrity endorsements
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.
The Hong Kong-based company listed Swizz Beatz, a musician who married Keys in 2010, as its CEO.
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 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," the statement said.
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.
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, Virginia.
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.


http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10779963

[antikristuseke]

REVENGE!
http://gizmodo.com/5877679/anonymous-kills-department-of-justice-site-in-megaupload-revenge-strike

[soopaman2]

All the torrent sites are still up though.

They attack the easy targets, the ones at least trying to be legit.

Want a list of a few open (non pass word requiring) torrent sites still chugging along? The password ones will last even longer...

Like the war on drugs, how is that working out again?


Billions and billions spent, just to target the easy ones, the potheads. While they give needles to Heroin addicts, who would actually hurt people over their habit.


Way to go America, we really are pioneers.:woot:

[Herr-Berbunch]

REVENGE!
http://gizmodo.com/5877679/anonymous-kills-department-of-justice-site-in-megaupload-revenge-strike


:har: Twitter is in #OpMegaupload overdrive. Over 40 tweets since I put the :har:

Wouldn't want to work in IT for a government agency or music company right now.

Edit: If the US government can shut down a site on the other side of the world, and arrest it's bosses, why do they need SOPA/PIPA?

[antikristuseke]

trying to take away anons internets is having a few consewuences and if this keeps up, it is going to get worse before it gets better

[Herr-Berbunch]

The Clickskrieg :haha:

[razark]

REVENGE!
http://gizmodo.com/5877679/anonymous-kills-department-of-justice-site-in-megaupload-revenge-strike
Lovely. So this will be used as a reason why we need things like SOPA and PIPA.

Thanks a lot, guys.
:nope:

[Rilder]

Lovely. So this will be used as a reason why we need things like SOPA and PIPA.

Thanks a lot, guys.
:nope:

When people try to screw with the internet the internet tries to screw with them.

Also, apparently they even hit the FBI, heh.

[Herr-Berbunch]

Lovely. So this will be used as a reason why we need things like SOPA and PIPA.

Thanks a lot, guys.
:nope:

This has nothing directly to do with SOPA/PIPA, they are about piracy/copyright infringement - not denial of service attacks.

[razark]

This has nothing directly to do with SOPA/PIPA, they are about piracy/copyright infringement - not denial of service attacks.
If the people making the laws understood how the internet works, they wouldn't be creating stuff like SOPA. They'll be pushing the "see how evil these copyright infringing people are? we need laws to take them out" angle to push more laws that don't work.

(Yes, this is not directly related to specific laws (SOPA/PIPA) designed to take down piracy sites, but using laws to take down a piracy site IS what happened here. The DDoS attack was in retaliation for a site being taken down. Or as someone put it: "REVENGE!")

[Dowly]

All the torrent sites are still up though.

Because they are trickier to take down than simple file-sharing sites that
actually host the files on their servers.

They attack the easy targets, the ones at least trying to be legit.


MegaUpload wasn't even trying to monitor the files people uploaded there.

[Molon Labe]

Stuff gets deleted from megaupload all the time.


The part about this that pisses me off the most was that MU wasn't given a day in court. Just taken offline with no process whatsoever. Orwellian BS.

That and just the principle of the whole case in general, punishing the creators of a legitimate service because some users use that service to infringe on copyrights. They might as well shut down and arrest the makers of the VHS cassette and CDs while they're at it, along with any other sort of media storage device.

[joegrundman]

is it the beginning of something new, or a sacrificial victim to appease the gods of sopa/pipa?

it seems to me attacking megaupload for copyright infringement is akin to attacking ebay for being a marketplace for stolen goods. It is, but it is also much more than that.

but of course megaupload isn't an american-owned internet titan.

to quote the great philosopher "Skipper", "there is no sacrifice greater than someone else's"

[TarJak]

Stuff gets deleted from megaupload all the time.


The part about this that pisses me off the most was that MU wasn't given a day in court. Just taken offline with no process whatsoever. Orwellian BS.

That and just the principle of the whole case in general, punishing the creators of a legitimate service because some users use that service to infringe on copyrights. They might as well shut down and arrest the makers of the VHS cassette and CDs while they're at it, along with any other sort of media storage device.

And that's happened without SOPA or PIPA being in law. So they want more power to squash piracy? Like all prohibition, it simply drives the behaviour underground, turns almost every citizen into an accomplice and improves the chances of corruption.

Instead of taking the right response to a market challenge, they run off to the hill asking for more legislation. What they should be doing is marketing their product and making it more freely available on the net at a reasonable cost.

I think the thing that scares the crap out of the music moguls is that their artists can simply cut them out of the sales process and deal direct with the customer on the net. Hope that happens sooner rather than later and some of these twunts get some come uppance.

[Dowly]

Stuff gets deleted from megaupload all the time.

Sure, but they've never truly tried to keep the site clear. Take a look at Rapidshare
in comparisation. Sure, illegal stuff gets uploaded there too, but the stuff is hunted
down quite quickly and deleted.

Or what about MegaVideo? Tons and tons of shows are there and have been there for years, the administration of the site doesn't seem to do much to clean
it.

This was just another regular anti-piracy bust, nothing more nothing less.

[Jimbuna]

Well bang went a load of my files :-?

[Herr-Berbunch]

Well bang went a load of my files :-?

Time to find a new home for them. I assume you have them backed up, if not I'm sure Steve will. :-?

[Penguin]

it seems to me attacking megaupload for copyright infringement is akin to attacking ebay for being a marketplace for stolen goods. It is, but it is also much more than that.


And this is exactly the point! It is the equivalent of closing a storage facility because people hosted hot goods there, or closing down a harddisk plant, because Joe Sixpack had some illegal mp3s on his drive. If I had a meth lab in my apartment, I would be in legal trouble, not my landlord.
I am sure that megaupload prohibited hosting copyrighted material on their servers in their TOS.

[Jimbuna]

Time to find a new home for them. I assume you have them backed up, if not I'm sure Steve will. :-?

Oh yes....the GW stuff etc. etc. is well archived on portable HD's and discs...it's just the nusance value of maybe having to upload it again some time in the future.

[Herr-Berbunch]

I think I read around here somewhere that working files for GWX were now available elsewhere? If that was so then, phew - not for me but for all the new guys just finding SH3 and wanting that little (:O:) bit more.

[Jimbuna]

The GWX files are available from the GameFront link above my sig.

[Seeadler]

I met Kim Schmitz years ago at a convention of the CCC (chaos computer club) here in Hamburg Germany where he appeared as guest speaker:arrgh!:

[Kongo Otto]

I met Kim Schmitz years ago at a convention of the CCC (chaos computer club) here in Hamburg Germany where he appeared as guest speaker:arrgh!:

What was he talking about? Internet Fraud, Common Fraud, Inside Trading, Handling stolen goods or just a little small talk about why he's such a fat twat. :hmmm:

[USS Drum]

So let's use this is an example: If someone bought a gun from a store and shot someone, who should be held guilty, the person who made the gun or the person who shot it?

Now for Megaupload, who should be held responsible, the person who uploaded the file or the person who runs the website?

[Sailor Steve]

So let's use this is an example: If someone bought a gun from a store and shot someone, who should be held guilty, the person who made the gun or the person who shot it?

Now for Megaupload, who should be held responsible, the person who uploaded the file or the person who runs the website?
Bad comparison. The one has nothing to do with the other. A better one would be stolen goods. Who is more resonsible, the guy who stole the furs or the guy who got caught holding them. As was pointed out, sites like Rapidshare actively track down and delete illegal uploads. If Megaupload doesn't do that then they are indeed guilty of illegal activities.

I too think it's a witchhunt, and I've given my reasons, but your comparison is not even remotely valid.

[vienna]

It now appears Filesonic has bitten the dust as a file sharing site; it has posted a notice they now allow only uploading and downloading of one's personal files only i.e., no pubilc access...

[Jimbuna]

Who will be next? :hmmm:

[Dowly]

Who will be next? :hmmm:

There's plenty of public storage sites out there that make money from piracy to
bust.

[Jimbuna]

There's plenty of public storage sites out there that make money from piracy to
bust.

True that :yep:

[Seeadler]

Who will be next? :hmmm:
Easy-Share.com - closed affiliate program
Crocko.com - closed affiliate program
EnterUpload.com - down - redirec to a luxury website
FileServe.com - closed affiliate program - sharing/downloading disabled
FileSonic.com - closed affiliate program - sharing/downloading disabled
FileJungle.com - closed affiliate program - downloading disabled
FilePost.com - closed affiliate program - suspending accounts with infringing material
GlumboUploads.com - closed affiliate program
GrooveFile.com - dead
MegaShare.com - closed affiliate program
UploadStation.com - - closed affiliate program - sharing/downloading disabled
Uploaded.to - blocked U.S. Visitors
Uploading.com - closed affiliate program
VideoZer.com - closed affiliate program
VideoBB.com - closed affiliate program
x7.to - dead
4Shared - rumours: will be closed on Feb. 1. 2012
Sockshare/Putlocker - rumours: will be closed on Feb. 1. 2012
UploadBox.com - closing, all files will be deleted on January 30th. 2012

[Jimbuna]

Easy-Share.com - closed affiliate program
Crocko.com - closed affiliate program
EnterUpload.com - down - redirec to a luxury website
FileServe.com - closed affiliate program - sharing/downloading disabled
FileSonic.com - closed affiliate program - sharing/downloading disabled
FileJungle.com - closed affiliate program - downloading disabled
FilePost.com - closed affiliate program - suspending accounts with infringing material
GlumboUploads.com - closed affiliate program
GrooveFile.com - dead
MegaShare.com - closed affiliate program
UploadStation.com - - closed affiliate program - sharing/downloading disabled
Uploaded.to - blocked U.S. Visitors
Uploading.com - closed affiliate program
VideoZer.com - closed affiliate program
VideoBB.com - closed affiliate program
x7.to - dead
4Shared - rumours: will be closed on Feb. 1. 2012
Sockshare/Putlocker - rumours: will be closed on Feb. 1. 2012
UploadBox.com - closing, all files will be deleted on January 30th. 2012

Ah well, none of those I'm currently using......yet :DL

[Herr-Berbunch]

Also in the firing line according to the Daily Fail -

Amazon, Dropbox, MediaFire, YouSendIt, Rapidshare, Box.net and FileSonic

:o

[Penguin]

This is really becoming ridiculous :nope: ...
Let's throw away our usb-sticks, too, oh what do I say, any storage medium should be banned! Look what those criminals use them for:

http://img29.imageshack.us/img29/1821/1321672426.jpg

[Molon Labe]

So what's a person who releases mods or his/her own games and apps supposed to do now? Buy a server? :nope: Yes, I know subsim has its own storage, but not everyone does.

When the 2nd revolution comes, somewhere down on the list of grievances against our government, will be this. (Okay, I'm kidding. A little.)

[Seeadler]

So what's a person who releases mods or his/her own games and apps supposed to do now?
Use one the free file hosting services for mods like GameFront.com (formerly FileFront.com). Hosting services which does not offer affiliate programs and pay out the uploaders for their downloads. Such hosters are unimportant for the most of the uploaders who offer illegal content because they can earn nothing with their copies. Such file hoster therefore have nothing to fear, because no illegal content is hosted on their server.

All the file hosters who make now restrictions or closing their services, know very well that most of their uploaders offer illegal content through their services and they earning money with them.

[Sailor Steve]

Apparently Filesonic is in a panic over this. They now have a label on their site to the effect that they no longer host filesharing, and you can only upload your own work.

[Sonarman]

So what's a person who releases mods or his/her own games and apps supposed to do now?

That won't be a problem under SOPA/PIPA or the even worse ACTA as modding any existing content will probably be illegal anyway!

[Dowly]

Apparently Filesonic is in a panic over this. They now have a label on their site to the effect that they no longer host filesharing, and you can only upload your own work.

And they should be, I've seen plenty of links for not-so-legal stuff that's been
pointing to their site around the internet.

[Jimbuna]

There is always FTP but that is pretty dependant on the bandwidth of the individuals system.

[Molon Labe]

It's just aggravating that an entire business model that promotes creativity and innovation is being stifled by this. Sure, there are other options, but they are more cost-prohibitive. More barriers to entry = less innovation.

[Penguin]

I looks like Kim Schmitz is no longer No.1 in Modern Warfare 3: http://www.news.com.au/technology/gaming/kim-dotcom-no-longer-worlds-best-mw3-player/story-e6frfrt9-1226253458574 :88)

All the cash and spare time one can wish for and then having nothing better to do than playing such a crappy game. :nope:

[Dowly]

Being #1 in something like MW3 should be punishable by jail in itself. :yep:

[lightmoocow]

It's sad that they shut down other similar sites too...

[vienna]

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204740904577193094039722380.html

[kiwi_2005]

If the FBI said to our police force 'kiss my ass', they would kiss their ass! :dead: The way they busted this guy was way over the top anyone would think he was some terrorist ready to have a shoot out with the police. Our police force were trying to impress the FBI with the big guns and armed offenders squad takedown :har:


Campbell Live has spoken exclusively with Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom (http://www.3news.co.nz/Technology/KimDotcom.aspx)in his first TV interview since being arrested.
Dotcom faces a barrage of FBI charges relating to the operation of his file sharing company Megaupload.
I spoke with the internet millionaire about the charges ***8211; which include racketeering, copyright infringement and money laundering ***8211; the internet, his time in jail and the whole business model surrounding Hollywood.
Kim Dotcom first TV interview: i'm no piracy king

The full Kim Dotcom interview transcript:
http://www.3news.co.nz/Kim-Dotcoms-first-TV-interview-Im-no-piracy-king/tabid/817/articleID/244830/Default.aspx