# Megaupload.com shut down by Feds **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 19, 2012, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/megaupload-com-shut-down-by-feds/610064 "2012-01-19T20:43:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![coffinjumper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8baadc/32.png) [@coffinjumper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coffinjumper)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/megaupload-com-shut-down-by-feds/610064/61 "2012-01-20T22:50:03Z")
> [@Doctor](#): > > Well, that didn’t take long – Megaupload is back at [http://megavideo.bz/](http://megavideo.bz/). Looks like they are hosting out of the Netherlands now. Do not go to this site! It is filled with malware. ---
**Author:** ![Nunzio\_Tavulari](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Nunzio\_Tavulari](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nunzio_Tavulari)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2012, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/megaupload-com-shut-down-by-feds/610064/62 "2012-01-21T03:15:27Z")
> [@coffinjumper](#): > > Do not go to this site! It is filled with malware. I see no evidence of this. It is running far fewer scripts than 90% of the sites on the web. SDMB is much more intrusive than that site ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2012, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/megaupload-com-shut-down-by-feds/610064/63 "2012-01-21T04:15:28Z")
The source only shows one scripts which seems to only show the date. Further, neither Spybot, Avira, or Malware Bytes are picking anything up at all, so if it’s malware riddled it’s some pretty damn advanced malware. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2012, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/megaupload-com-shut-down-by-feds/610064/64 "2012-01-21T05:02:40Z")
One of the bigger issue about pirated software which no one seems to get when arguing lost revenues is that these “pirate” sites are often the only way many “evil downloaders” can get hold of that content. So if someone in say India\* or China or S Arabia hears that there is an American show like say “How I met your mother” or a new one like “Once upon a time” and they think it is worth checking out, this is not the most convenient way to see it, it is often the _only_ way. There is zero revenue lost and if anything there is a big oppurtunity to _gain_ revenue by working with that site. - Yes I know some people get access to US Channels in those countries and also their are certain channels like AmericaPlus which show shows from all over, but those are not really substitutes. ---
**Author:** ![EKDS5k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c5a1d2/32.png) [@EKDS5k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EKDS5k)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2012, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/megaupload-com-shut-down-by-feds/610064/65 "2012-01-21T19:50:43Z")
I was going to add to this thread, but Simplicio brought up most of the points I was going to make. It seems like he’s the only one who actually read the indictment. The operators of Megaupload aren’t being accused of running a site which happened to be used for piracy, they are being accused of specifically designing it to cater to and encourage piracy, and profiting off of it, under the guise of providing a legitimate service. It seems to me that anyone opposed to SOPA should be using this as ammunition: Megaupload was taken down using existing legislation. Therefore the current system, while possibly in need of tweaking, works, and there is no need for more restrictive legislation. > [@blindboyard](#): > > Like when they took down MegaUpload’s video advert because of Universal’s fraudulent copyright claim, still being contested through the courts. Youtube’s complain system is, as I understand, completely automated, and immediately removes videos when a complaint is registered. No human review required. It’s heavily biased in favour of the complainant. Basically so they don’t ever get sued for hosting copyrighted content. Universal abused this system in order to stop people from seeing the video. ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2012, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/megaupload-com-shut-down-by-feds/610064/66 "2012-01-22T00:31:56Z")
Anyone see the sign up at [http://www.megaupload.c](http://www.megaupload.c) om/ now? Interesting. ---
**Author:** ![Nunzio\_Tavulari](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Nunzio\_Tavulari](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nunzio_Tavulari)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2012, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/megaupload-com-shut-down-by-feds/610064/67 "2012-01-22T00:56:34Z")
I’m not seeing any signup. I’m seeing a notice from the FBI and DOJ that the site has been seized. There’s also an emblem from the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center, which I wasn’t aware of before. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2012, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/megaupload-com-shut-down-by-feds/610064/68 "2012-01-22T13:45:05Z")
> [@Simplicio](#): > > I’m not sure what your referring to. What specific file-hosting site has not been prosecuted for similar behavior? And if the Government had gone after that site first, would you be making the same argument, since then Megavideo wouldn’t have yet been prosecuted? Someones going to get caught first, I don’t see that evidence of the law being “unevenly applied”. Granted. A frightening thought struck me as I woke up this morning however (don’t ask me why my brain was on the Mega\* case in my sleep, I have no clue). Between the Global Criminal Conspiracy (of Doom) language, and the indictment mentioning that some of the site owners themselves had uploaded some infringing files… are they going to try to RICO Act them ?! _check indictment_ Holy shit, they _are_ accusing them of systematic racketeering and money laundering. They’re going to try them like they’re the Mob. Wouldn’t that make any person who ever had dealings with them (say, by downloading a file) similarly “part of the conspiracy”, and as such liable to trumped up charges (admittedly, my knowledge of RICO is 100% TV-based) ? ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2012, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/megaupload-com-shut-down-by-feds/610064/69 "2012-01-22T13:58:11Z")
Wow. They could conceivably get a user’s username and password and backtrack them via iptrace to their location. Then we send out the jackbooted thugs to apprehend everyone. I have a feeling they are going to need to do this in waves or else hire a lot more thugs. ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2012, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/megaupload-com-shut-down-by-feds/610064/70 "2012-01-22T21:17:06Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Oh, this is precious; they are apparently actually [referred to in the indictment](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/business/documents/megaupload_indictment.pdf?tid=sm_twitter_washingtonpost) as “The Mega Conspiracy” (warning, PDF). > > To earn a name like that, they really need masked uniformed minions and a volcano lair. Well Auckland, where Kim dot com was arrested is built on a [dormant volcanic field](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auckland_volcanic_field), and has the quite impressive [Rangitoto](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rangitoto_Island)just offshore. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2012, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/megaupload-com-shut-down-by-feds/610064/71 "2012-01-22T22:13:59Z")
> [@Gagundathar](#): > > Wow. They could conceivably get a user’s username and password and backtrack them via iptrace to their location. > Then we send out the jackbooted thugs to apprehend everyone. > > I have a feeling they are going to need to do this in waves or else hire a lot more thugs. Unindicted co-conspirators, all of them! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2012, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/megaupload-com-shut-down-by-feds/610064/72 "2012-01-24T18:08:42Z")
Interesting speculation about the real motives behind the takedown of Megaupload: > **[Google Workspace Updates: New community features for Google Chat and an...](https://workspaceupdates.googleblog.com/2023/04/new-community-features-for-google-chat-and-an-update-currents%20.html)** From Dec. 21, pre-indictment: > [@founder of Megaupload](#): > > “UMG knows that we are going to compete with them via our own music venture called [Megabox.com](http://Megabox.com), a site that will soon allow artists to sell their creations directly to consumers while **allowing artists to keep** **90 percent of earnings** ,” MegaUpload founder Kim ‘Dotcom’ Schmitz told Torrentfreak this week. > [@](#): > > “We have a solution called the **Megakey** that will **allow artists to earn income from users who download music for free** ,” Dotcom outlined. “Yes that’s right, we will pay artists even for free downloads. The Megakey business model has been tested with over a million users and it works.” [http://www.digitalmusicnews.com/permalink/2011/111221airvinyl](http://www.digitalmusicnews.com/permalink/2011/111221airvinyl) Which all also explains the reaction UMG had to [this star-studded MegaUpload promo video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRjEIvYP3WE). ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2012, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/megaupload-com-shut-down-by-feds/610064/73 "2012-01-26T08:14:56Z")
Topic die? I was just reading some more on this. Check out this profile on Kim Dotcom: [http://www.fastcompany.com/1810015/inside-megaupload-megamind-kim-dotcom-wild-history-of-playboy-bunnies-russian-nuclear-vessel](http://www.fastcompany.com/1810015/inside-megaupload-megamind-kim-dotcom-wild-history-of-playboy-bunnies-russian-nuclear-vessel) I’ll say one thing about him - dude knew how to put on one damn [impressive fireworks show](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3mMY4QjefE&feature=player_embedded#%21). (don’t miss the grand finale) ^^^ For some extra raises of the eyebrow, follow the link given in the description of that youtube link (which is itself a link from that first link to the FastCompany profile) to [a story from Sept 2011 in the New Zealand Herald](http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10750824). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/megaupload-com-shut-down-by-feds/610064.md?page=3)