Megaupload - Bye, Bye - Indicted!!

[rcrott1]

Feds Say 7 From Megaupload.com Ran Massive Worldwide Piracy Website | Fox News

not sure if anyone else has seen this, but the Feds busted the founders of megaupload.com and have blocked the site.........

 

[jamor]

not surprised it was a massive source for free mp3 downloads

 

[valorian]

I've been wondering why some themes linked to Megaupload were not working.

 

[scudder]

You guys might have heard but interesting after yesterday's "blackout" in protest of new legislation:

File-Sharing Site Megaupload Shut Down Over Piracy, Execs Indicted | News & Opinion | PCMag.com

 

[esthernrob]

good read... "The accused generated more than $175 million and caused more than $1 billion in harm via megaupload.com and other sites, the DOJ said." i wonder what the $1 billion in harm is referring to... lost sales, revenue? reminds me of the "metallica vs. napster" era...

 

[quest7]

Not listed on the indictment is rapper Swizz Beatz -- real name Kasseem Dean -- who, according to a report in the New York Post, is the CEO of MegaUpload. Beatz is married to pop singer Alicia Keys.

Rothken said that Beatz had not been running the site but that recently there had been "a transition period going on."

MegaUpload file sharing site shut down for piracy by Feds - latimes.com

 

[Yeahha]

Has the cyberwar begun? DOJ, FBI, entertainment industry sites attacked after piracy arrests | InSecurity Complex - CNET News

I read these news stories and think this is not a good thing for the android development community. If this keeps up I can only see more and more file sharing sites going down and many devs rely on these sites for providing their roms (and yes many are rampant with piracy as well )

 

[quest7]

From above link:

The attacks were affecting Internet traffic patterns overall, according to a real-time Web monitoring site operated by content delivery company Akamai. The site had registered 218 attacks in the last 24 hours and reported that attack-related traffic was up 24 percent over normal, while general network traffic was up 13 percent.

IRC chats show supporters of the Anonymous online activist collective claiming victory over shutting down the DOJ site and talking about other U.S. government sites to target, including the Recording Industry of America (RIAA), the White House, the FBI, BMI.com, Copyright.com, Viacom, Anti-piracy.be/nl, Vivendi.fr, Hadopi.fr, and ChrisDodd.com, the site for the former U.S. senator who now heads up the RIAA. Some of the targeted sites were intermittently down, like the FBI, while others were accessible but opening very slowly. (A list of known targets is here.)

 

[UssjTrunks]

The government is on a power trip. Imagine what they'll do to the internet if SOPA/PIPA passes. Scary stuff. If you think online censorship in China is bad, just wait until this stuff passes.

 

[Yeahha]

The government is on a power trip. Imagine what they'll do to the internet if SOPA/PIPA passes. Scary stuff. If you think online censorship in China is bad, just wait until this stuff passes.

Yeah I am hoping it doesn't pass, it would be a major setback in the evolution of the internet if it does.

 

[scudder]

Has the cyberwar begun? DOJ, FBI, entertainment industry sites attacked after piracy arrests | InSecurity Complex - CNET News

I read these news stories and think this is not a good thing for the android development community. If this keeps up I can only see more and more file sharing sites going down and many devs rely on these sites for providing their roms (and yes many are rampant with piracy as well )

I think something has to be done with some of these issue (as you said above Yeahha with the rampant piracy). But these proposed laws SOPA/PIPA in their current form are just WAY TOO BROAD with unintended, sweeping consequences...

 

[quest7]

As for the site's employees, they were paid lavishly and they spent lavishly. Even the graphic designer, 35-year-old Slovakian resident Julius Bencko, made more than $1 million in 2010 alone.

The indictment goes after six individuals, who between them owned 14 Mercedes-Benz automobiles with license plates such as "POLICE," "MAFIA," "V," "STONED," "CEO," "HACKER," GOOD," "EVIL," and—perhaps presciently —"GUILTY." The group also had a 2010 Maserati, a 2008 Rolls-Royce, and a 1989 Lamborghini. They had not one but three Samsung 83" TVs, and two Sharp 108" TVs. Someone owned a "Predator statue." Motor bikes, jet skis, artwork, and even 60 Dell servers could all be forfeit to the government if it can prove its case against the members of the "Mega Conspiracy."

Megaupload may be trying to get back online under new domain name

http://m.technewstube.com/view/56/

Lol...


Why the feds smashed Megaupload

 

[Yeahha]

I think something has to be done with some of these issue (as you said above Yeahha with the rampant piracy). But these proposed laws SOPA/PIPA in their current form are just WAY TOO BROAD with unintended, sweeping consequences...

But the supporters of SOPA/PIPA say the power that is given won't be abused

 

[scudder]

The indictment goes after six individuals, who between them owned 14 Mercedes-Benz automobiles with license plates such as "POLICE," "MAFIA," "V," "STONED," "CEO," "HACKER," GOOD," "EVIL," and

 

[Vistz]

Yea I heard about that. A shame really. But there are alternatives that are popping up daily.

 

[scary alien]

Guys,

I've merged the three (or four?) posts from the "Megaupload.com Gone" thread into this one and moved it to The Lounge.

Cheers!

 

[argedion]

This biggest problem with all of this is if we allow a "Group" the kind of power where they can just shutdown a site do to the thought that they are "Pirating" then where will we allow them to take it next. Problem as it stands for them (Government) is that we are a community of Hope. Hope gives us more power than the Government has so their for they will do anything to crush that power.

How many of you remember copying Records over to cassettes? Or recording movies from places like HBO or Showtime on to the VCR. This kind of Piracy is something that has been going on ever since the ability has been there. Who has never made a "Love Tape" and given it to their Girlfriend / Boyfriend? Was that Piracy? And where was the Government stand on this issue back then.

I find it interesting that if a Police officer is hurt on the job (has been shot) the officer cannot sue the city in which they work for. I'ts a clause called on the job danager. Meaning that if the danger is a part of your job then you cannot sue. So why is it that Record companies and Movie companies are getting to change the rules? I mean is not the fact that someone is going to copy the owners material a "Danger of the Job"

At another extreme think about what windows is doing in the name of "Anti-Piracy" by creating a activation disc. You have 30 days to activate the product. REALLY you mean to tell me I spent 200.00 dollars for your crap ware and now I can't use it at my own leisure? Why can I only install it on one computer I have 5 computers why would I pay 1000.00 just to access the internet, do some emails, Listen to music, and watch movies. And if I have to install it on the same computer more than four times i have to call you to get some long cryptic number that takes ten minutes to punch in? What happend to the day's when you purchased something legally it was yours. Now it's just on loan! This is the real piracy. They are rapping us, stealing from us, and beating us with the legal bullcrap. So when will the Government shut those sites down? If the Music / Movie organizations went this route and said that you could only play the disc in one player would you not take the thing back and get a refund. Or just ignore them and play it one every cd/dvd player you have?

We have let our Government go to far in protecting the Rights of these Companies and not protecting the rights of the consumer. I do not have a problem purchasing something I find some value in but is it not my right to make a copy for my Dad. Or to put a copy on my wifes computer? Whats next I buy a shirt and decide its a bit big so I give it to someone and bamm we go to jail because of a shirt? Or a 12 pack and I'm only allowed to drink it in the state which I bought it during the hours of 3 - 3:30 am

Anyway once we give an agency that much power its like rolling black out just no way to stop it and all the lines blur.

 

[mikedt]

This biggest problem with all of this is if we allow a "Group" the kind of power where they can just shutdown a site do to the thought that they are "Pirating" then where will we allow them to take it next. Problem as it stands for them (Government) is that we are a community of Hope. Hope gives us more power than the Government has so their for they will do anything to crush that power.

How many of you remember copying Records over to cassettes? Or recording movies from places like HBO or Showtime on to the VCR. This kind of Piracy is something that has been going on ever since the ability has been there. Who has never made a "Love Tape" and given it to their Girlfriend / Boyfriend? Was that Piracy? And where was the Government stand on this issue back then.

The music industry considered it piracy back in the day...
...anyone remember this?

I think there is a difference between giving a mixtape to a friend and uploading copyrighted MP3s to MegaDownload or whatever, making them available to the whole world.

 

[Flaviu]

SOPA = so pathetic

 

[zuben el genub]

The music industry considered it piracy back in the day...
...anyone remember this?

I think there is a difference between giving a mixtape to a friend and uploading copyrighted MP3s to MegaDownload or whatever, making them available to the whole world.

Not according to Sony. They put files on their CDs that would only allow you to play it on one device. If you played it in your computer, it wouldn't play elsewhere. They got sued and lost.

Since Sony is so obnoxious I won't buy their products.

 

[Slug]

What happend to the day's when you purchased something legally it was yours. Now it's just on loan!

Software licenses have ALWAYS made it clear that purchasers do not own the product, only the right to use it. Copyright for the code remains with the author.

 

[new optimus]

I think something has to be done with some of these issue (as you said above Yeahha with the rampant piracy). But these proposed laws SOPA/PIPA in their current form are just WAY TOO BROAD with unintended, sweeping consequences...

Who says its unintended?
You know someone intends something they may just be biding their time

 

[new optimus]

Software licenses have ALWAYS made it clear that purchasers do not own the product, only the right to use it. Copyright for the code remains with the author.

honestly that does not make any difference to the point he made.

before software licenses you bought something it was yours to modify or destroy as you wanted to.

where would the auto industry be if you could not modify your car?

 

[scudder]

How many of you remember copying Records over to cassettes? Or recording movies from places like HBO or Showtime on to the VCR. This kind of Piracy is something that has been going on ever since the ability has been there. Who has never made a "Love Tape" and given it to their Girlfriend / Boyfriend? Was that Piracy? And where was the Government stand on this issue back then.

The music industry considered it piracy back in the day...
...anyone remember this?

I think there is a difference between giving a mixtape to a friend and uploading copyrighted MP3s to MegaDownload or whatever, making them available to the whole world.

Just to give a little legal background (from waaaay back in my "previous life" as an attorney and trying to remember Copyright lectures...) the Government, as well as Sony was there "back then" in the early days of VCR. Actually, the BIG case involved BETAMAX...remember that!!?? The focus regarding Betamax and VCRs came down to an issue of "time shifting" where the Court ruled that the personal, non-infringing use of a copy of a program to watch at a later time was considered "fair use."

Sony Corp. of America v. Universal City Studios, Inc. - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

As an aside, I also remember in studying this case (and this was brought up in the above Wiki article) that in hindsight, after alllllll the bitching that Sony did in the Betamax case look how much they have profited from Betamax and VHS players and VHS and DVD movies!! Bastards!!

The "fair use" doctrine has also been invoked with regard to CDs and music, where one "personal" copy is permitted for personal use as was suggested in the examples of making a copy of a CD to put in your car as a cassette. The creation of a "love tape" shared with a boyfriend or girlfriend however, I believe, actually violates copyright law because it is NOT "one copy for personal use"!!

The "fair use" doctrine has actually been broadened in years since that Betamax case in situations involving dissemination of copyrighted work for non-profit, educational purposes.

The key in the "love tape" example above is the distribution of the content. You have the right to make a single copy for personal use but you do not have the right to distribute, whether for "love" and for free (or for FREE LOVE if that is what you were hoping for in using your "love tape" !! ) or for profit. You can make a copy of a movie for your own "personal use" but if you broadcast it or show the movie to a group of friends at a block party outside, even if for free, that is illegal!! I recall reading cases of lawsuits for copyright infringement where people were sued for showing a movie in their own home !! but those cases did not succeed. However, if your "broadcast" the movie showing it outside on a pulldown screen for a summer nights' party then THAT was illegal.

But the "love tape" scenario, albeit "illegal," is not the scenario that is sought to be controlled...it is the widespread distribution and facilitation of that distribution of the materials that is sought to be controlled. And Megaupload was arguably the biggest distributor of said material and did so for enormous profit.

As to the reasons for the legal existence of software licenses as "single use" and only licensed for installation on ONE computer as compared to the "fair use" doctrine applicable to making a copy of a music CD for personal use, I do not have an answer...that issue is post-law-school/practice for me and above my current pay grade!

So, that my two legal cents...probably not even worth that much!

And by the way, my legal advice is free...free to use, free to distribute. Just know that you assume the risk associated with the use of my bullsh%$...um, I mean "advice"

 

[argedion]

Software licenses have ALWAYS made it clear that purchasers do not own the product, only the right to use it. Copyright for the code remains with the author.

True However I was not necessarily talking about software just anything we buy. But while we are at it how is it that Software can be give a "Copyright" but a mathematical formula cannot? After all Software is Math Formulas! Functions and Routines are recognized as part of the math family

thankfully however there are alternatives to this madness. I use Fedora and I have only Free software (Please donate to these causes) I do have windows 7 it came with my computer when I bought it. I use it on an occassion Only because I paid for it. Which really I had no choice because thats how they sell the computer. They don't give us an alternative to choose the OS. So again Corporate America shoves crap down your throat that you really don't want.