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Megaupload's business model isn't too far off from what cloud hosting providers such as Google Drive, Box, Spideroak, Dropbox, and the others still do today. Yet they are the only ones singled out for legal attacks over their business model.
Five years ago the US Government launched a criminal case against Megaupload and several of its former employees. One of the main allegations in the indictment is that the site only deleted links to copyright-infringing material, not the actual files. Interestingly, this isn't too far off from what cloud hosting providers such as Google Drive and Dropbox still do today.
[...] One of the main arguments in the indictment is that Megaupload would only disable a URL when it received a takedown notice, not the underlying file. As a result of the deduplication technology it employed, this meant that the file could still be accessed under different URLs.
[...] The apparent 'failure' to block infringing content from being uploaded by other users isn't illegal by definition. In fact, neither Google Drive nor Dropbox does this today. So how is the Megaupload situation different?
The main difference appears to be that Megaupload only removed the links that were reported as infringing, while Dropbox and Drive also prevent others from publicly sharing links to the same file. All three services keep or kept the original files on their servers though.
(Score: 2) by Hairyfeet on Tuesday February 21 2017, @03:30AM
Sigh, if you think this is the real issue? I have some bridges you might be interested in. The reason they went after Megaupload is the same reason they went after Limewire which is their ads were focused on selling piracy with tons of talk about first run movies and big name artists.
There is a difference between "playing the game" and pretending to give a shit about copyright holders (which is what the big boys do now) and Kimdotcom dropping his pants and giving the *.A.As a supersized Goatse while flipping them the double bird, and its that "Go fuck yourselves you can't do shit nah nah ni nah nah" attitude that got his ass busted. The moral of the story? If you are doing something that is seriously on the fence legally? Don't be a douchebag and flip the bird to the world, that kind of attitude tends to blow up in your face.
ACs are never seen so don't bother. Always ready to show SJWs for the racists they are.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday February 21 2017, @10:38AM
The moral of the story: US dreams itself the world police.
(Score: 2) by urza9814 on Tuesday February 21 2017, @07:46PM
In civilized societies, merely being a dick isn't actually a crime though, and focusing on people who do that is considered a waste of police resources.
In fact, even in the USA, you can literally flip the bird at a police officer and it's illegal for him to even stop you for it. See Swartz v. Insogna. You actually have a right to be a dick, and targeting dicks for prosecution is therefore a violation of their rights.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday February 24 2017, @07:15AM
The problem with that line of thinking is that you assume that you are a law abiding citizen. You aren't.
The average person commits three felonies a day. Not because they are a bad person, but because there are so many laws on the books with such broad wording that it is impossible to NOT do something illegal. So if you decide to piss off that cop "because you can" then you better pray that he doesn't know some obscure law or statute that he can see you breaking. If he does, then you're gonna be kissing concrete due to your "unruly and confrontational behavior" warranting an aggressive response.
(Score: 2) by Hairyfeet on Monday February 27 2017, @07:54AM
You missed the point mate, if ALL you are doing is being an asshole? That is 100% fine and dandy, hell YouTube is filled with grade a megapricks and nobody does shit, its when you are doing illegal or borderline illegal shit that being a dick on TOP of the illegal shit? Bites you right in the ass.
Again what was Kim doing that Google and the rest weren't? Being a prick on top of hosting illegal content, simple as that. Google and the rest play the game and PRETEND to give a flipping fuck about the *.A.A (in reality? They don't care) but Kim was not only doing the same illegal copyright shit he was flying two birds while screaming "suck my big hairy nuts big media companies!" and THAT is what got him fucked.
ACs are never seen so don't bother. Always ready to show SJWs for the racists they are.
(Score: 2) by urza9814 on Tuesday February 28 2017, @03:13PM
I think you've missed MY point, actually.
The fact that Kim is a dick doesn't matter in terms of the law.
Except in this case, it apparently does.
That's a problem.