What Are the Implications of Megaupload Being Taken Down?

[genericusrnme]

Yep, megaupload has been taken down..
Who do you guys suppose is next?
Do you think that megaupload should have been taken down?

What's everyone's opinions on this matter?

 

[fluidistic]

Yep, megaupload has been taken down..
Who do you guys suppose is next?
Do you think that megaupload should have been taken down?

What's everyone's opinions on this matter?

Since almost everything starts with google... Google down might do some damages.
Well that's sad about megaupload. What do I think? Another website will born to replace megaupload.

 

[Curious3141]

Since almost everything starts with google... Google down might do some damages.
Well that's sad about megaupload. What do I think? Another website will born to replace megaupload.

There are already many alternatives.

What will happen to the subscribers who paid money for faster access (I'm not one of them)?

 

[genericusrnme]

Nothing happens to the subscribers with paid accounts I'm affraid, if they payed for one recently it's pretty much just wasted money

There are already many alternitives but what's to stop them going down?
I personally have used megaupload to send music (that I myself wrote and recorded with free software and hardware that I owned), upload notes so I could download them somewhere else if I didn't have a usb stick handy
I get that megaupload can be used for piracy but attacking the site over it doesn't seem like the correct thing to do since it does have plenty of legit uses..
It's a shame those legit uses can just be handwaved away as secondary to piracy.

 

[StevieTNZ]

One of the founders was arrested in Auckland, New Zealand today.

http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/248445/anonymous_retaliates_for_megaupload_shutdown_attacks_doj_others.html

http://nz.news.yahoo.com/a/-/top-stories/12665254/who-is-kim-dotcom/

 

[Evo]

Nothing happens to the subscribers with paid accounts I'm affraid, if they payed for one recently it's pretty much just wasted money

There are already many alternitives but what's to stop them going down?
I personally have used megaupload to send music (that I myself wrote and recorded with free software and hardware that I owned), upload notes so I could download them somewhere else if I didn't have a usb stick handy
I get that megaupload can be used for piracy but attacking the site over it doesn't seem like the correct thing to do since it does have plenty of legit uses..
It's a shame those legit uses can just be handwaved away as secondary to piracy.

If they are allowing illegal activities, of course they will be shut down. You can't be "half" legal.

 

[encorp]

Megaupload was involved in some very serious money laundering schemes and should have been shut down.

 

[wukunlin]

omg, i have lots of photo backups on MU :uhh:

 

[ThomasT]

Megaupload was involved in some very serious money laundering schemes and should have been shut down.

Were they shut down for money laundering or facilitating the pirating of movies and music?

 

[ThomasT]

Do you think that megaupload should have been taken down?

Depends. If it was for facilitating the pirating of movies and music, then no. I don't consider that a serious enough problem that the DOJ should be spending public resources on it. On the other hand, the people arrested (who control megaupload) might have been involved in more sinister stuff.

 

[KingNothing]

Good riddance that they are gone, I do think they crossed some boundaries. I am a bit concerned that there was some foul play between UMG and the authorities, considering UMG's history with MegaUpload.

IMO it's *way* too easy to pirate things. I think this comes from: a lack of sensible laws regarding e-crime, and a refusal by the major media companies to provide more modern services. The biggest blow to video game piracy to this day has been Steam, and the biggest blow to movie piracy Netflix. It's simply so much more convenient to pirate something than to actually pay for it.

 

[Char. Limit]

Good riddance that they are gone, I do think they crossed some boundaries. I am a bit concerned that there was some foul play between UMG and the authorities, considering UMG's history with MegaUpload.

IMO it's *way* too easy to pirate things. I think this comes from: a lack of sensible laws regarding e-crime, and a refusal by the major media companies to provide more modern services. The biggest blow to video game piracy to this day has been Steam, and the biggest blow to movie piracy Netflix. It's simply so much more convenient to pirate something than to actually pay for it.

This. The best way to end piracy is to make it more convenient to buy the product. Let's say you buy a game today. You're very likely to deal with ridiculous DRM or perhaps get to have fun with rootkits getting installed on your computer. It's as you said, Steam is just so easy that people tend to use it. Why risk going to jail when you can spend a few bucks and get the game instantly, downloaded to your computer, and you can use it at any time? Hell, some games are put online, that is, the entire data is online, so that you can access them from any computer. Now that's genius.

As for Megaupload, well, it's one site down. Pirates will find another one, and paying customers are shafted. But hey, I can't say that what they're doing is legal. Arresting them was the right thing to do... assuming that WAS the intent.

 

[OmCheeto]

Never heard of megaupload before today.

Interesting.

Justice Department Charges Leaders of Megaupload with Widespread Online Copyright Infringement
WASHINGTON—Seven individuals and two corporations have been charged in the United States with running an international organized criminal enterprise allegedly responsible for massive worldwide online piracy of numerous types of copyrighted works through Megaupload.com and other related sites, generating more than $175 million in criminal proceeds and causing more than half a billion dollars in harm to copyright owners, the U.S. Justice Department and FBI announced today.

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.

Personally, I'd have used some of the profits to get a face transplant...

Kim Schmitz, founder of megaupload & u-know-who​

Sorry. I hate Rush Limbaugh. And if you look like him, I will kill you. (the http://www.hulu.com/watch/317024/saturday-night-live-chantix is STILL wearing off.)

 

[Adyssa]

This. The best way to end piracy is to make it more convenient to buy the product.

Yep. The internet makes it so easy, I can't for the life of me understand why more companies aren't making it more convenient to purchase the legitimate product. Downloading pirated stuff is still a bit of a chore, and there's no guarantee of quality.

Also, I am sick to death of watching my DVDs and having to sit through 5 minutes of YOU WOULDN'T STEAL A CAR, YOU WOULDN'T STEAL A PURSE, DOWNLOADING IS STEALING. Hello? I'm watching the DVD, if I downloaded it, I wouldn't have to see this, it's the first thing the pirates remove! Stop harassing paying customers, or pretty soon, I'm just going to stop buying this crap and start downloading a better product!

Make it super easy, make it super cheap, move units in high volume, it's not rocket surgery. Sell a collectors edition hard copy with added value (extras, commentary, t-shirt, whatever).

Why is it so hard to realize that the current business model for media is mired in the past? >.<

Also, you know what I download? Documentaries and really old movies that I can't find on DVD, or I can, but they are region coded or NTSC format and there's only so many hoops I can be bothered jumping through. There's a market for this stuff, realize this, and sell products to me!

 

[Monique]

Why is it so hard to realize that the current business model for media is mired in the past? >.<

I couldn't agree more, those companies have been resisting the revolution of downloading products. By not supplying a demand they've damaged their own products. What if all the "lost money" had been spent in making an infrastructure for legal downloads?

 

[ParticleGrl]

The long term issue with piracy is that it damages returns to the various entertainment industries (movies, music games). That means too much IP theft eventually leads to not-enough entertainment being produced.

We don't seem to be suffering any kind of lack of entertainment, so it seems unlikely to me that piracy is a tremendous problem. The resources it would take to effectively police information would be astronomical, and almost certainly not worth it.

I'm more concerned that we've gone the other way- our IP/copyright laws are far too restrictive. Pretty much nothing new has entered the public domain in my lifetime, and some things have even been removed.

 

[Pengwuino]

I always find it odd that people think that it's okay to steal something just because they don't like the costs and ways something are sold.

If you don't like it, don't buy it. It's entertainment, not water and bread.

 

[GregJ]

Why is it so hard to realize that the current business model for media is mired in the past? >.<

This hits it right on the nail. I have said this to myself 100 times over. Companies need to learn to adapt to the changing world and not fight against it.

 

[russ_watters]

This hits it right on the nail. I have said this to myself 100 times over. Companies need to learn to adapt to the changing world and not fight against it.

I don't like the car buying process, so I think I'll just steal my next car off the lot. Their fault, not mine.

 

[russ_watters]

Depends. If it was for facilitating the pirating of movies and music, then no. I don't consider that a serious enough problem that the DOJ should be spending public resources on it.

What is your criteria for deciding if it serious enough for the DOJ to get into?

 

[xxChrisxx]

Legality reflects culture. Culture is changing regarding copyright and IP in general.
We are merely in a transition period.

How long the transition will last - ?
What the IP world will look like after - ?The main reason music companies (biggest group on the offensive) are playing this up is that they have seen the writing on the wall. They are basically the middle man, who's role of production marketing and distribution is becoming obsolete in the long term.Adapt or Die.

 

[GregJ]

I don't like the car buying process, so I think I'll just steal my next car off the lot. Their fault, not mine.

Say you own a car dealership and most of your cars gets stolen no matter how high and secure you build the walls around your property (nothing you build/add helps in any way). You're constantly losing money.

Do you not think it is time to adapt a new sales method that may reduce the amount of theft (as clearly the current method is not working)?Edit: Don't get me wrong. I am not supporting piracy.

 

[JesseC]

Megaupload is just one of a whole load of file-hosting sites (Rapidshare, filefactory, mediafire etc etc... the list is very long) that clearly make most of their money off subscribers who pay to download pirated content. This is striking to me, it shows that people are willing to pay for content. Just not at the prices of iTunes and other legitimate sources.

I imagine that if megaupload had been more proactive in deleting illegal files and hadn't been so noisy about their shady dealings they would never have been arrested. The execs of all the file-hosting sites must know where all their content and money is coming from and that they are providing a service to piracy. However, by simply doing the very minimum required by the law, they get away with it and still make a bomb. Seems to me like megaupload simply weren't very smart.

 

[Monique]

I always find it odd that people think that it's okay to steal something just because they don't like the costs and ways something are sold.

If you don't like it, don't buy it. It's entertainment, not water and bread.

I don't like the car buying process, so I think I'll just steal my next car off the lot. Their fault, not mine.

No, it's not like that.

You two both do point out the core: if you don't like it, don't buy it. That's exactly what's happening. The companies are not adapting to a changing world and as a result people are not buying their products anymore. Some people who don't like to buy still use the product, but that doesn't change the fact that no money comes into the drawer.

I don't like the car-buying process, so I don't have a car. I still commute from A to B and sit in cars. I see absolutely no need to steal a car, because I can get around fine without one. It's the car company's loss, because their business model is faulty.

I feel the entertainment industry needs to scratch behind their ears and wonder why people are not buying and how they could turn around that process. Alternative solutions are coming on the market, but it is still very sparse (at least in my area).

 

[Evo]

According to the news.

Other material found uploaded included child pornography and terrorism propaganda videos, according to the indictment. The U.S. government's investigation began in March 2010.

http://news.yahoo.com/u-shutters-megaupload-com-hackers-retaliate-011423326.html

 

[nonequilibrium]

People, stop calling piracy stealing, it's not the same morally, it's note the same legally.

As it relates to movies and such, I don't know, but when it comes to music, piracy is a part of the future and it actually makes sense in the time we live in. Ask musicians you know, the majority actually doesn't mind it because they realize it's an excellent way to get your music across (a person like Nick Drake died unappreciated 30 years back, but if he had started nowadays he would have gotten the fame he deserved). Musicians now make their money through other venues, and personally I can say that I would buy the CD if I really liked the music, irrelevant to having it on my computer from someone else or not.

Disclaimer: but anyway I don't know the reasons for the shutting down of megaupload, I'm just talking about the piracy part.

 

[Monique]

If someone rents a car from a rental company and uses it to make drug deals, should the rental company be shut down? I think the person who makes the drug deals should be held responsible. Surely it is in the regulations that it can't be used for illegal activities (isn't it somewhere in the iTunes guidelines that you can't use the software for terrorist activities and such?).

 

[Char. Limit]

I don't like the car buying process, so I think I'll just steal my next car off the lot. Their fault, not mine.

Nice strawman. Highly irrelevant, as no one's suggesting piracy is okay, but very nice strawman you have there.

 

[Pengwuino]

Nice strawman. Highly irrelevant, as no one's suggesting piracy is okay, but very nice strawman you have there.

Might want to go back and read a couple posts ;)

 

[Char. Limit]

Might want to go back and read a couple posts ;)

I don't see the person he's quoting talking about how piracy is okay. He just says that businesses need to change their business model if they want to fight a comprehensive effort against piracy. I guess that's forbidden speech now?

 

[turbo]

The resources it would take to effectively police information would be astronomical, and almost certainly not worth it.

The entertainment industry is trying to foist all those costs onto the US taxpayers. They want us (our government) to root out the pirates AND to pay the costs of litigating against them at no cost to themselves, and at the risk of stifling free communication across the Internet. Nobody in the mainstream media can be bothered to report on this.

 

[AlephZero]

Ask musicians you know, the majority actually doesn't mind it because they realize it's an excellent way to get your music across (a person like Nick Drake died unappreciated 30 years back, but if he had started nowadays he would have gotten the fame he deserved). Musicians now make their money through other venues, and personally I can say that I would buy the CD if I really liked the music, irrelevant to having it on my computer from someone else or not.

Of the musicians I know, the ones who "don't mind it" are mostly those who wouldn't make any serious money out of any delivery system, simply because they aren't good enough. The ones who are good enough to make money want to keep on making it.

The irony is that the clock is actually getting turned backwards about 50 years, to the days when you got known by playing live gigs, not uploading mashups of other people's music onto websites. Get 50 people in a room somewhere, and don't let them out till they pay you $10 each for a some merchandising, and you make some real $$, not a few virtual friends on the web. Of course having the real $$ in your pocket might then change your attitide to the geek on the back row who recorded the gig on a cellphone and posted it on YouTube...

 

[Hepth]

With the same intent of law in mind should gmail/Google be shut down if people use it for planning illegal activities? Or do they hold a responsibility to monitor and report illegal activity on their servers?

 

[Pengwuino]

Of the musicians I know, the ones who "don't mind it" are mostly those who wouldn't make any serious money out of any delivery system, simply because they aren't good enough. The ones who are good enough to make money want to keep on making it.

Exactly. There are a few people who are already multi-multi-millionaires who have come out in support of piracy. However, I have yet to see someone who makes simply a decent living come out in support of piracy.

And let's get real with the "the entertainment industry just needs to get with the program" garbage. If I started printing counterfeit US currency, no one would argue that the US treasury just "needs to get with the program". The argument is even better with counterfeiting currency. The same arguments that are pro-piracy apply except the person selling to you actually gets money (excluding large transactions where the currency would be checked) as well!

At the very least, I don't hear people yapping about "Well, it's better that we don't pay because that's how lesser known musicians become known" anymore, as if it's up to the customers to decide whether or not the person gets paid.

With the same intent of law in mind should gmail/Google be shut down if people use it for planning illegal activities? Or do they hold a responsibility to monitor and report illegal activity on their servers?

I think most will agree the ideas behind SOPA are going too far, but sites do have some responsibility to monitor for illegal activities. Remember, all these sites make money off hosting these kinds of things through ad revenue and subscriptions. If a car dealership had illegal boxing matches happening behind its building and was taking a cut, possibly even indirectly, they would absolutely be held accountable. That's how western law works, even people who are not directly responsible for something can be held partially liable for something. I also am quite serious when I say some responsibility. If google/isps/services took "reasonable" steps to look for pirated content, I think no one could blame them just like the car dealership, if it took reasonable steps to prevent these fights, wouldn't be blamed.

 

[JesseC]

Where is the evidence piracy actually results in a loss of sales? Where is the evidence that if pirates were forced to stop, they'd actually go out and buy stuff instead? I am actually very interested if anyone has done proper research on the topic.

Its very easy to pirate thousands of pounds worth of material off the web. If piracy suddenly became impossible, there is no way people would go out and spend thousands of pounds legally instead. So if corporations simply add up the total retail cost of all pirated items and call that "lost revenue", then that figure is complete nonsense.

You'd think we would be bombarded by stories of poor musicians who can no longer make a living because of piracy? Why do I never hear stories like that?