Sites attacked after filesharer shut down

20 Jan 2012, 11:10 am   -   Source: AAP, SBS Staff
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Megaupload, one of the internet's largest file-sharing sites, has been shut down.

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One of the world's largest file-sharing sites has been shut down and its founder and several company executives have been charged with violating piracy laws, US prosecutors say, triggering a host of attacks on websites supporting tougher copyright laws from so-called 'hacktivists'.

An indictment on Thursday accuses Megaupload.com of costing copyright holders more than $US500 million ($A480.70 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 at two congressional proposals intended to thwart online piracy.

But in retaliaion for the takedown, internet 'hacktivists' used apparent Denial of Service attacks to bring down the websites of the US Department of Justice, Universal Music, the Motion Picture Association of America and the Recording Industry Association of America websites, linking the Megaupload case to the recent protests over the SOPA legislation in the US.

Twitter accounts linked to the 'Anonymous' and LulzSec hacker groups claimed responsibility on the social network.

ARRESTED IN NEW ZEALAND

The US Justice Department said that Kim Dotcom, formerly known as Kim Schmitz, and three other executives were arrested on Thursday in New Zealand at the request of US officials. Two other defendants are at large.

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 Megaupload 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. He was not named in the indictment and declined to comment through a representative.

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.

The site boasted 150 million registered users.

A lawyer who represented the company in a lawsuit last year declined comment on 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 $US42 million from the conspiracy in 2010 alone, according to the indictment.

Dotcom is founder, former CEO and current chief innovation officer of Megaupload.

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Your Comments

Stephanie - from Australia, 4 months ago

And so it begins..

Excuse me Mr

Jimbo - from Brisvegas, 4 months ago

Excuse me Mr. won't you take a look around, then you will see Mr. it all coming down -Ben Harper

Down with censorship

2minds - from Melbourne, 4 months ago

Power the people

Big brother

Doody - from Epping, 4 months ago

Uncle Sam hates freedom of speech ,soon the only freedom allowed will be US government approved freedom of speech along with the attached fee and advert of course

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