CYBER WAR: Feds Shut Down File-Sharing Site; No Trial, No Due Process...

[paulitician]

And so it begins. Can the Government/Corporate Complex be stopped? Doesn't look like it.


The US government has closed down one of the world's largest filesharing websites, accusing its founders of racketeering, money laundering and presiding over "massive" online piracy.

According to prosecutors, Megaupload illegally cheated copyright holders out of $500m in revenue as part of a criminal enterprise spanning five years.

A lawyer for Megaupload told the Guardian it would "vigorously" defend itself against the charges, dismissing the criminal action as "a civil case in disguise".

News of the indictment – being framed as one of the biggest copyright cases in US history – came a day after major internet firms held a 24-hour protest over proposed anti-piracy laws.

According to a Department of Justice release, seven people associated with Megaupload were indicted by a federal grand jury earlier this month over the charges

hour protest over proposed anti-piracy laws.

According to a Department of Justice release, seven people associated with Megaupload were indicted by a federal grand jury earlier this month over the charges.

They included Kim Dotcom, founder of the online firm.

The 37-year-old, who also goes by Kim Tim Jim Vestor and whose real name is Kim Schmitz, is accused of heading up a criminal venture that earn Dotcom and his associates upwards of $175m.

These profits were obtained illegally through advertising and the selling of premium memberships to users of Megaupload, the justice department is claiming.

Established in 2005, the website offered a "one-click" upload, providing an easily accessible online locker for shared content.

Before being shut down, the firm boasted 50 million daily visitors, accounting for 4% of total internet traffic, the justice department claimed in its statement on the indictment.

Prosecutors allege that the website violated copyright law by illegally hosting movies, music and TV shows on a massive scale.

Those behind the website have claimed that it diligently responds to any complaint regarding pirated material.

Read More:
US government hits Megaupload with mega piracy indictment | Technology | guardian.co.uk
DRUDGE REPORT 2012®

 

[waltky]

Gov't. says MU supports piracy...

US files charges against Megaupload in 'largest copyright case'
January 20, 2012 - US prosecutors say that the video-sharing site Megaupload.com cost the US entertainment industry $500 million. Online activists worry the US case could stifle Internet freedoms around the world.

In New Zealand, police had to cut through an iron door of a safe room to get their fugitive, Kim Dotcom, the founder of an Internet-based video sharing site called Megaupload.com. Mr. Dotcom (a German citizen born as Kim Schmitz), along with six of his colleagues, has been charged with criminal copyright infringement, racketeering, and money laundering. Meanwhile, a worldwide network of hackers took up the battle on behalf of Megaupload.com, launching a massive denial-of-service attack on several entertainment websites, as well as on the US Department of Justice website.

The mayhem and legal proceedings are just the opening shots in what US prosecutors are calling the largest criminal copyright case ever, and involves $500 million in damages to the entertainment industry, as well as complex legal issues of what constitutes copyright infringement in the age of YouTube, Facebook “liking,” and DVD burners. And the legal battle is likely to reverberate around the world, as countries contemplate their own laws over intellectual property rights. If found guilty, Dotcom and his Megaupload associates – who are thought to have earned up to $175 million by selling advertisements on their website –could face 20 years in prison.

The Washington Post quoted Sen. Patrick Leahy – author of the controversial Protect IP Act (PIPA) – praising the arrest of Dotcom. “Today’s action by the Department of Justice against the leaders of Megaupload.com shows what law enforcement can do to protect American intellectual property that is stolen through domestic Web sites,” the Post quoted Leahy saying. The New York Times quoted Ira P. Rothken, a lawyer for Megaupload, as saying in a Times phone interview, “Megaupload believes the government is wrong on the facts, wrong on the law.”

MORE

See also:

US lawmakers switch sides on anti-piracy bills
Jan 20, 2012, Some members of the US Congress switched sides to oppose antipiracy legislation as protests blanketed the internet on Wednesday, turning Wikipedia dark and putting black slashes on Google and other sites as if they had been censored.

Several sponsors of the legislation, including senators Roy Blunt, Chuck Grassley, Orrin Hatch and John Boozman and Marco Rubio, said they were withdrawing their support. Some blamed senate majority leader Harry Reid for rushing the senate version of the bill. In switching their positions, Blunt called the legislation "deeply flawed" while Rubio and Boozman cited "unintended consequences" that could stem from the proposed law.

All said they still supported taking action against online piracy. Other lawmakers, such as senator Kristen Gillibrand, said they supported changes to the legislation. The blackout affected thousands of sites and served as the culmination of several efforts online to fight the legislation. In recent days, for example, many Twittter users placed black "Stop SOPA" bands on the bottom of their profile pictures.

Zuckerberg joins online revolt

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has joined the growing chorus against the proposed anti-piracy bills in the US, saying the two "poorly thought out laws" are not the "right solutions" to the problem of piracy but will only harm the internet. Zuckerberg posted his remarks against PIPA and the SOPA on his wall. Within two hours, his post got over 280,000 likes. Zuckerberg said the world today needs political leaders who are "pro-Internet".

Source

 

[ladyliberal]

as I said in another thread...

I'm conflicted about Megaupload. It seems clear that a substantial part of their business was facilitating the violation of copyright. However, it's not clear that they themselves were in violation of the law. Certainly, many of their customers are entirely innocent, and now find themselves grossly inconvenienced.

I'm curious as to what warning the US government gave Megaupload. If this attack came without due warning then I feel Megaupload was treated unfairly. Certainly their customers were treated unfairly, being given no warning before being deprived of their files. It looks as though the government may have acted capriciously in their haste to demonstrate their effectiveness as SOPA faltered.