79 replies to this topic

[Waser Lave]

After ten seconds on Wikipedia, I believe it would go like this:
Megaupload make ad revenue on illegal content, which is a non-cash resource and therefore already in the financial system. This is then distributed to the users via rewards system, and then recouped in the form of subscriptions.

Maybe.

Probably not.

I'm guessing.

Totally.

Seems like they were stretching for that one.

[Sweeney]

Seems like they were stretching for that one.

That was me stretching I read the first two paragraphs on money laundering.

[Waser Lave]

That was me stretching I read the first two paragraphs on money laundering.

I mean the prosecutors were stretching to include another thing on the list. They're probably concerned that Megaupload will get away with the copyright infringement because of DMCA so they're trying to get them on organised crime charges too.

[Scot]

It's more like megaupload gave 1 bonus point for each download under 100mb, so to maximize gains, people split their shit into something like 75 pieces, forcing others without premium accounts to drive up hits on the site. In a sense, you can say they encouraged the uploading of whatever content would generate the most traffic and turned a blind eye to copyrighted content as long as it was not directly reported. I believe the biggest cash prize before the rewards program was taken down earlier in 2011 was $10,000 cash, and that was for a million bonus points or so.

[iargue]

I mean the prosecutors were stretching to include another thing on the list. They're probably concerned that Megaupload will get away with the copyright infringement because of DMCA so they're trying to get them on organised crime charges too.

When it comes to the internet. Charge them with everything under the sun. Changes are the judge will okay half of them because he doesn't understand whats going on.

[Scot]

http://rt.com/usa/ne...ersal-sopa-235/

After a Department of Justice-executed raid today on the file sharing site Megaupload, hackers aligned with the online collective Anonymous have shut down the websites for both the DoJ and Universal Music Group, the largest record company in America.

Both universalmusic.com and justice.gov went down on Thursday afternoon, less than hours after it was revealed that Megaupload had been brought down by federal authorities and four people linked to the site, all outside of America, were arrested and charged with a conspiracy related to copyright infringement.

“It was in retaliation for Megaupload, as was the concurrent attack on Justice.gov,” Anonymous operative Barret Brown tells RT on Thursday afternoon.

Brown adds that “more is coming” and Anonymous-aligned hacktivists are pursuing a joint effort with others to “ damage campaign raising abilities of remaining Democrats who support SOPA.”

[Kraftwerk]

I had an unlimited premium membership (though I didn't pay for it, a friend let me use it)... So I am totally mad. =/

But it's interesting the information you got here, most sites only said the owner was in some piracy business and that's all.

[Kyle]

So...are users in danger? Do they retain credit card information? IP logs?

[Waser Lave]

So...are users in danger? Do they retain credit card information? IP logs?

Unlike torrenting, users who download from places like Megaupload are only downloading data, they aren't uploading anything and therefore aren't technically infringing copyright (in my opinion).

[iargue]

Unlike torrenting, users who download from places like Megaupload are only downloading data, they aren't uploading anything and therefore aren't technically infringing copyright (in my opinion).

And according to the MPAA, anything that doesn't make them own your soul, is copy right infringement.

[Kyle]

Unlike torrenting, users who download from places like Megaupload are only downloading data, they aren't uploading anything and therefore aren't technically infringing copyright (in my opinion).

Lets assume that the USA doesn't give a fuck about the laws. If I've given them credit card information or used their services, is my IP or information saved somewhere on their servers?

[Stitches]

All this without SOPA/PIPA even passing... gotta love it.

The world's economy is going down the drain, there's disease and poverty and war to worry about, and our Brave Leaders are squabbling about gay marriage and the fucking internet.

[Waser Lave]

Lets assume that the USA doesn't give a fuck about the laws. If I've given them credit card information or used their services, is my IP or information saved somewhere on their servers?

Almost certainly.

[Kyle]

Almost certainly.

Lets hope my site of choice doesn't get busted then

[Bone]

I know this is really nitpicky... but its 2012

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWdd6_ZxX8c

[iargue]

Lets hope my site of choice doesn't get busted then

As long as they don't keep logs of the files you download, and the files, your fine.

[Waser Lave]

As long as they don't keep logs of the files you download, and the files, your fine.

Technically they could get all that information from the server logs.

[Crispin]

I'm glad I've never paid for a premium on a download site. I've always just used Multiupload or Sharebee. In hindsight, an excellent idea. Hopefully this won't become a trend. I hate the MAFIAA with a passion. I wish Google/MS/Apple would crush them by buying a label or something.

[Scot]

This article describes what happened in detail.

http://arstechnica.c...-megaupload.ars

[Melchoire]

I don't understand how megaupload's model is anything different from, say, youtube(you can easily download files from youtube). Both websites have systems in place to take down infringing materials, ie they both make an effort to prevent criminal activity. Was megaupload just an easier target for them?

And you really have to question the govt's intent with this take down. I guarantee they wouldn't have wasted any effort if megaupload operated out of another country like South africa.

[redlion]

This article describes what happened in detail.

http://arstechnica.c...-megaupload.ars

So basically, they made the mistake of

A) Hosting illegal content directly on their site,
B) Knowing about it, and
C) Acknowledging A and B by requesting illegal content from each other in email that is stored for records.

[zandra]

they should really stop passing laws which make the rich even richer. guess the media giants are not afraid of anything since they shut down megaupload duing this protest =/

[WharfRat]

Just bought a 4 year membership like 2 weeks ago... Damn.

[redlion]

Just found this brilliant comment posted anonymously by someone on one of the news articles regarding the topic.

Great quote. The difference of course is that xeroxing a book only enables a (relatively) few folks in your immediate area to get around buying the book, whereas digital downloading is available anywhere, anytime, given an internet connection.

Not the best of analogies, but still worth considering. Piracy is nothing new

[redlion]

Sure. Just like with torrents, it just means there have to be more nodes

Person A buys book; copies and shares with b, c, d and e

Each of those also copy the book and so on. It will still go around just like torrents, just the delivery method is slower. I see a lot of reference material in workplaces that has been copied multiple times for training and handed out time and time again... hell... I'm willing to bet an entire years salary that this also happens within the organisations that are fighting piracy.

Yes, but (correct me if I'm mistaken) isn't it entirely legal to photocopy for educational purposes? The RIAA isn't educational, but copying a textbook to use in classes surely is.