Mega Upload

Originally posted by Symmetric Chaos
It's not SOPA at all. They spent years building a case, following due process of law.

I'm amazed how many people think the problem with SOPA was that it would have stopped pirates sites and not the part where it would given property holders nearly unrestricted ability to censor people.

You say "case," but funny how the case was fulfilled the moment SOPA arises. Hm...
And you're also putting words in my mouth, because censoring IS a problem, and I do consider this censorship.

Originally posted by Mr. Rhythmic
You say "case," but funny how the case was fulfilled the moment SOPA arises. Hm...

That's a complete non sequitur.

Originally posted by Mr. Rhythmic
And you're also putting words in my mouth, because censoring IS a problem, and I do consider this censorship.

Which is odd, because it isn't censorship. They're being shut down for violating IP law not for anything they said (unless you think the FBI's case is wholly fictitious in which case there's really no point in having a conversation).

Shouldn't they maybe have a trial first and then, if there's a conviction shut down the site?

Originally posted by Bardock42
Shouldn't they maybe have a trial first and then, if there's a conviction shut down the site?

It's an injunction. In this case the FBI and other agencies asked for an injunction (following due process of law) because they wanted to seize content and assets, probably in order to prevent evidence from being destroyed and profits hidden. The FBI spent years building the case specifically to get enough evidence for their injunction, this isn't a hammer suddenly falling and shutting them down like SOPA would allow.

The process is the same with other crimes.
Take murder as an example:
1) Accusation
2) Build a case
3) Get an arrest warrant
4) Arrest accused
5) Hold trial
6) Convict or release accused

The problem with SOPA was that it changed to process to this:
1) Accusation
2) Arrest accused

If Megavideo wins the court case they will get their stuff back (though to be honest law enforcement has a nasty record with that kind of thing) and will be able to sue UMG for considerable damages.

Worth mentioning that Megaupload has done the same thing. UMG was sending out DMCA notices to sites hosting Megaupload's latest ad and sites complied (unnecessarily). Megaupload responded by filing for an injunction to prevent UMG from continuing to send out the notices -- or, if we wish to use the rhetoric of the hour, they asked that their right to free speech be censored.

there is precedence from drug laws that property of accused, though never convicted, drug dealers can be seized. the government may try to use something like that here, though I'm sure its not a exact application of the law.

Originally posted by Symmetric Chaos
That's a complete non sequitur.

I call it a public execution.

That's kind of weird. Why would you call it that?

This is just my opinion, but I think that it's interesting how the government arrests Schmidtz for 50 years, shuts down his site, and effectively scares countless file sharing sites into either closing or stop file sharing at the peak of SOPA/PIPA awareness when they did not effectively go through. The government's been after Megaupload for years, but funny how NOW it all goes down, during the peak of SOPA awareness, and when SOPA/PIPA were stopped.

im sure it was all planned down to the last detail but shhh dont say anything. It is a billion dollar coverup, and I wonder where the money will go??

I still personally think it's a bit much to hold someone responsible if they simply host a service for others to use. Just like if I rented a house to someone and they murdered someone in it, I shouldn't be held responsible for their actions.

Now of course, I see the argument where people say Megaupload was notified of content and never took it down (which would be the same of being aware of a murder in my rented house) but just from what I've personally seen, I've come across numerous links that were taken down from Megaupload. Tons!

What I would like to know is where their main base operated from. I keep seeing that it was Hong Kong but I'm just trying to figure out how the United States had the authority to even seize their property in a completely different country. Did they have some operations set up in the US somewhere?

Originally posted by RyanEstabrooks
I've come across numerous links that were taken down from Megaupload. Tons!

Yes, that's the issue. Megaupload is accused of only removing the links to illegal content rather than removing it.

So if we use the "person killed in your house" metaphor: Megaupload knowingly let hundreds of people commit murder in their house, did not report this fact, earned money from the murders, and covered it up.

Originally posted by RyanEstabrooks
What I would like to know is where their main base operated from. I keep seeing that it was Hong Kong but I'm just trying to figure out how the United States had the authority to even seize their property in a completely different country. Did they have some operations set up in the US somewhere?

Arrests and seizures in other countries were carried out by police in those countries. The FBI was involved because they had some of their stuff in the US.

Originally posted by rudester
im sure it was all planned down to the last detail but shhh dont say anything. It is a billion dollar coverup, and I wonder where the money will go??

Oh, I'm sorry, am I supposed to care?

ooh Im sorry kong if you didn't care seeing how you will never know what a billion dollars looks like, infact you will probably ever know what a million dollars looks like or a hundred dollars looks like in your case. But yeah you should care, because many companies throughout history to speak of and many corruption stories have been used in the name of justice.

Justice 1
Definition: The quality of being just; conformity to the principles of righteousness and rectitude in all things; strict performance of moral obligations; practical conformity to human or divine law; integrity in the dealings of men with each other; rectitude; equity; uprightness.

You can't really argue whats justice now a days because the people who hold the law, use it for their personal gain; in this case money. Should we say that uploading curtain movie files that were bad quality to begin with was a crime? Or downloading free music so we could enjoy ourselves was a crime? Don't these artist get paid alot anways so that we should care? Don't doctors get paid less more? or teachers for that matter? My point is, is that the money probably went to some low-life or back into the system. It never went to the hungry artist...or an artist organization. P.s you should care. Because now you wont get to see that movie that was going to entertain you, you also wont get to hear that Mega Upload song again.

I'm not all that tech savy, but if you can force someone to take down their site, can't you just force them to remove the illegal material while keeping the rest in tact?

the internet without pirated material would be boring as ****

Originally posted by TacDavey
I'm not all that tech savy, but if you can force someone to take down their site, can't you just force them to remove the illegal material while keeping the rest in tact?

Yes, you can, and that's a potential outcome of the case, though I'm sure IMG will seek having Megaupload destroyed completely. The site was seized as part of an injunction, it's not meant to be permanent.

hey guys I know I said we shouldnt share sites on where we download but I need to watch this movie and it wont work on icefilms? Do you guys know any other sites where you can download movies and you dont have to sign up for shit,,,just click and download???

Just use torrents... But expect to get caught a couple times.

I dont know how to do that....Im stupid..lol

can you guide me step by step???

the feds got mega upload but they cannot stop all the uploading sites or torrents

rapidshare etc

case in point...isohunt and piratebay still thrive

and to me its baffling when everyone makes $