Megaupload shut down by US officials

[Don Crack]

Megaupload has been shut down by US officials with immediate effect.

The site is one of the world's most popular file-sharing services, but has now been closed following allegations that its founder and several other executives were charged with violating a number of piracy laws.

The allegations state that Megaupload has cost copyright holders a loss of over $500 million (£320m) in revenue from pirated films and other media.

It appears that its spinoff sites including Megavideo and Megapix have also been shut down for the time being.

A statement posted on the FBI's website read: "This action is among the largest criminal copyright cases ever brought by the United States and directly targets the misuse of a public content storage and distribution site to commit and facilitate intellectual property crime."

The Justice Department explained that Kim Dotcom (formerly Kim Schmitz) and three others were arrested in New Zealand.

Megaupload had released a statement shortly before the shutdown, stating that the allegations were "grotesquely overblown".

The statement read: "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 website allows users to upload and transfer files that are too large for email, and is similar to several other sites including Rapidshare and FileServe.

The Motion Picture Association of America recently alleged that the vast majority of files used on Megaupload are in violation of copyright laws.

The move comes one day after many websites including Wikipedia and Craigslist shut down in protest against the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect IP Act (PIPA).

http://www.digitalsp...-officials.html

[Flat Eric]

allow us white vip2 skin users man

[Guest28]

noooooooooo not megavideo

site was harrdddd when i found out about megaskipper.com

[Aquaman]

f*ckKK

[TF S4DK]

I bought a Megaupload pass days ago, it was on half price, they bumped me cunts.

Swizz Beatz you bastard.

Altho I managed to get Prison Break in time.

Megaupload had a great run, most reliable link site imo.

[Don Crack]

The U.S government are in full attack on the internet this year

[Guest petercrotch]

This is one step too far if you ask me

f*ck the american government . first online poker now this .

[Heero Yuy]

THAT IS f*ck*ng PEAK

Don't worry though anonymous and them other syndicate underground groups will be coming strong this year.

Too much f*ckery has happened already in 2012.

[Bruno Di Gradi]

Swizzy is the CEO of megaupload

pissed

[Kurtis]

allow us white vip2 skin users man

init, ive been comin in and goin straight out of his topics

[Don Crack]

Swizz Beatz is the CEO of Shuttered Megaupload...Wait, What?

​We've all failed as music journalists. Swizz Beatz is the CEO of Megaupload.com and no one seemed to notice? No one, except Wikipedia (yes, that bastion of factual information on the web), which lists Swizzy's government handle, Kaseem Dean, as the head honcho of Megaupload. Megaupload's "About Us" section also cites Mr. Beatz as its acting CEO.

Now, word comes down that federal prosecutors have shut the site down and indicted its founder and others for violating copyright laws.

MTV broke the news in a post titled "Swizz Beatz's Megaupload Draws Fire for Promos" on Wednesday, January 18, the same day much of the web blacked out in protest of the controversial SOPA and PIPA bills. Our reaction was along the lines of: "Wait, what? That guy? Mr. Alicia Keys. Mr. It's Showtiiiime! He runs the bootleg mill known as Megaupload.com?" Hoe. Lee. sh*t. That's the real story right there, MTV. That an artist who's been on a major label his whole career owns a company that works -- for good or evil -- to undermine major labels. It's pretty much an "up yours" to the major labels. Oh Swizzy, you naughty, naughty rebel.

For those not in the know, Megaupload is a site that specializes in file sharing, which often includes copyrighted music, movies, TV shows, porno, and more. Say, you can't afford HBO but would really like to see the latest episode of Hung, Megaupload is where you would have gone to get your viewing on before it was shut down. Under SOPA guidelines, we believe that the punishment for viewing an episode of Hung on Megaupload is death by firing squad.

And so now Swizz has a mega problem on his hands. In addition to the shutdown today, Megaupload is in the midst of a lawsuit with the recording industry for music and video piracy.

If that isn't enough, Swizz is in hot water because he enlisted many of his celeb friends (Kanye West, Diddy, Kim Kardashian, and even wifey Alicia Keys) to help promote Megaupload. Universal Music Group filed a lawsuit requesting that Swizz and Megaupload take down the video or be presented before a firing squad and killed. Megaupload countersued.

"We have never received any word that any artist has [individually] filed a take-down . . . [we have] legally binding agreements with the performers that appear in the video . . . They promised that they had the rights to enter into that agreement and it's not interfering with any third-party rights," a Megaupload representative told the New York Post.

And the plot thickens...

http://blogs.houstonpress.com/rocks/2012/01/megaupload_swizz_beats.php

[ruz]

a shame

was one of the good ones aswell good speeds

and megavideo was useful aswell

[Wavant]

Megaupload had a great run, most reliable link site imo.

[Heero Yuy]

Trust always got good speeds and like ruz said megavideo was very decent too

This one has came out of nowhere man

[Rsonist]

R.I.P

[Goddaz]

I just bought a Megaupload pass days ago, it was on half price, they bumped me cunts.

Swizz Beatz you bastard.

Megaupload had a great run, most reliable link site imo.

[Captain Planet]

I THINK ITS TIME WE TOOK UP ARMS PEOPLE

ASSUALT THE US GOVT

ERIC CAN BE FRONT LINE

[Mr. Gayle]

RIP - One of the very few sites that even on a free pass you get good speeds.

[Rippy]

noooooooooo not megavideo

[Horatio Caine]

WTFFFF datz it ppl....its time we stand up and be counted......we are lucky to be growing up in a technology driven world....f*ck THE U.S

[MrJibbles]

f*ck*ng idiots, great place to download from.

Hate all this sh*t they are trying to do.

Its the 21st century for heaven sake, give it a rest, times change.

[Horatio Caine]

iv got a feelin "the hackers" are gonna strike back....

[Aquaman]

im gonna have to start hording for that rainy day

arghhh whyyyyyy?

[Kurtis]

you man shoul try buying the content

[Flojo]

I'm pissed.

f*ck the US Govt.