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Megaupload.com Shut Down, Founder Charged With Piracy

zacharye writes "Federal prosecutors in Virginia have shut down notorious file-sharing site Megaupload.com and charged the service's founder with violating piracy laws. The Associated Press broke the story on Thursday, reporting that the indictment accuses Megaupload.com's owner with costing copyright holders including record labels and movie studios more than $500 million in lost revenue."

6 of 1,005 comments (clear)

  1. Re:U.S. law is the new international law by FightFreedomOfSpeach · · Score: -1, Troll

    Not surprising

    There's a brief article about him on Wikipedia. He's an old hacker who made money by inside trading and later set up the Mega* sites brand with Megaupload, Megavideo and Megaporn along others. On Google Video there's 6 years old video when he goes to Monaco grand prix and spends $10 million over the weekend for all kinds of parties.

    He's been awfully silent lately, but lately he bought NZ$30 million mansion from New Zealand and got residency there. After that he sponsored $500,000 fireworks for capital of NZ in celebration of residency. All that with the money he made from piracy.

    It's also been "industry" standard to know that Megaupload is very nice for piracy uploaders. I have despited it, and still some people do it - Megaupload has always been the "one". Other one is MediaFire, though there are even more notorious ones. It's only good - criminals are taken to court and jail so companies can again produce goods and software and they don't have to see the widespread piracy that is going on. U.S. is right on about this, despite what you would think (and I will probably get modden down for saying this, but..)

  2. Re:U.S. law is the new international law by betterunixthanunix · · Score: -1, Troll

    So let's go ahead and post a breakdown of your income to make sure that you made your money legitimately.

    --
    Palm trees and 8
  3. Re:U.S. law is the new international law by Widowwolf · · Score: -1, Troll

    Wait so you are gonna use an Icon that's synonymous with apple to make it international...Hater

    --
    ~~"Of course, that's just my opinion. I could be wrong." ~~Dennis Miller
  4. Re:Good by future+assassin · · Score: 0, Troll

    So you are of the belief that you lost money from every single pirated copy?

    --
    by TheSpoom (715771) Uncaring Linux user here. I have nothing to add to this but please continue. *munches popcorn*
  5. Re:Ban the use of faucets! by bws111 · · Score: -1, Troll

    I suggest you consult a dictionary before making idiotic statements like that. Definition #1 (Webster's) of steal: to take or appropriate (another's property, ideas, etc) without permission.

  6. Re:Ban the use of faucets! by owlnation · · Score: 1, Troll

    Apples and oranges. The bottled water companies didn't invent water. The media companies did make the media you're pirating.

    No. The media companies did not make the media. They distribute it. This is not the same thing. Continuing the water analogy, they are not the cloud, nor the rain, just merely the plumbing to the fawcet.

    Taking something without paying just because you can is selfish and wrong.

    Tell that to the music industry. Like many, many people, I've done subcontracted work for the music industry. I've never been paid for any of it. I now know better to ever accept any contract from them. And I would urge everyone to do the same. They are thieving scumbags who promise a great deal, and rarely, if ever, pay out. This, is in addition to the many 1000s of artists who have been screwed over in contracts over the decades.

    However much the public out there may "steal" from them, it's peanuts to what they steal from people every single day.