Megaupload shut down

ahaha conspiracy theorists

maybe.

BUT when things are proven true, how come nobody calls them conspiracy FACTS, but keep lying, saying either they "knew it all the time", or deny it ?

Quote :

This guys says everyone who used mega, the government has their IP addresses, every single person even if they used proxy's to hide their IP's, and will charge $150,000 for EACH song, each copyright infringement, and if they don't pay, they will be jailed.

That's not very realistic. MegaUpload has 50 million registered users. Even if only a quarter of them are from the U.S., that's 12.5 million people. Then, even if only half of those people used Megaupload for illegal movie/music downloads, that's 6.25 million people. does the government have the resources and manpower to chase down that many offenders? Are there enough empty jail cells available to put them in? Somehow I doubt it.

This bust was a very public "shot across the bow" to inform illegal up & downloaders that it's high time they cut the crap.

Well, we're all screwed then.

The government can't enforce a copyright, only the owner of the copyright can. If you think Uncle Sucker is going to go around tracking down everybody that's downloaded a song, you don't understand the law.

Witchfinder wrote:

The government can't enforce a copyright, only the owner of the copyright can. If you think Uncle Sucker is going to go around tracking down everybody that's downloaded a song, you don't understand the law.

I wanted to say something along these lines, thanks for doing it I you.

GrandNational wrote:

Witchfinder wrote:

The government can't enforce a copyright, only the owner of the copyright can. If you think Uncle Sucker is going to go around tracking down everybody that's downloaded a song, you don't understand the law.

I wanted to say something along these lines, thanks for doing it I you.

me too. It seems a lot of people dont even know what copyright is these days..

Personally I think the U.S. government should stay out of the internet "Law" business. I think the internet should be free with no regulations whatsoever. As an American I am sick of my country's government going all over the world to enforce its self on others. This is an area where I agree with Ron Paul.
As for illegal downloads let the artist and the movie companies file charges on their own. This should be a civil matter...not a criminal matter.

"Follow The Money...."

Filesonic have now disabled sharing of files. I wonder how many other sites will follow suit.

Eyesore wrote:

Well, we're all screwed then.

Yep. I hope we get the same cell, buddy!

brokentulsa wrote:

Personally This should be a civil matter...not a criminal matter.

How do you figure

copyright infringement is a criminal offense. The federal government is just enforcing it's own (and sometime international) laws. Even if/when lawbreakers are prosecuted, cival suits can be filed afterwards on top of criminal charges.

So you feel lawbreakers should get a pass criminally because they use the internet to do so ? With this logic, you might be saying that a person who has naked photos of children in a photo album on their coffee table should be prosecuted criminally. Bit if they have naked photos of children from the internet. the charges should be brought civally by the parents of those children.

I know that is an extreme example, but it gives anothoer perspective to the same point I am trying to convey.

This is what happens when the entertainment lobby comes to collect on all the donations they made to campaigns

I wonder how the current generation of teenagers will react if they actually have to purchase something?

S.D. wrote:

I wonder how the current generation of teenagers will react if they actually have to purchase something?

They'll do what we did as broke teenagers. Wait till one of our friends buys something, and then dub a copy.

Start buyin' stock in Memorex and TDK, folks, blank cassettes are about to make a comeback in a BIG way!

I guess since I don't download stuff it has a different impact on me persoanaly than those that do.

One of the christian bands I was in during the late 80's had an issue with another band "borrowing" some song ideas from our demo. We had a sealed post marked envelope that we produced in court as our proof of "ownership". Of course we proved that we had an idea previous to the other band, but we failed to copyright the material. The misconception that a federal entity stamping a legal time frame to document our case ended up costing us a good chunk of change in court costs and legal fees. I have an understanding of ownership and what liability an individual or group has to go thru to ensure that right of ownership. When an individual or group goes through due process to protect what is their own property, I respect that right.

Just because, you can "log in" and "click" for free.....that pretty much says it all.

What the government just did is pretty much over-kill. Due to the fact that not all content is copyrighted. Something needs to be done. Hopefully, a solution can be found that protects ownership, proper parties are compensated and file share websites make money.

James B. wrote:

What the government just did is pretty much over-kill. Due to the fact that not all content is copyrighted. Something needs to be done. Hopefully, a solution can be found that protects ownership, proper parties are compensated and file share websites make money.

I'm in complete agreement. Although...the government getting involved in "policing the internet" REALLY bothers me, I've watched too many of our privacy rights vanish over the last decade.

S.D. wrote:

James B. wrote:

What the government just did is pretty much over-kill. Due to the fact that not all content is copyrighted. Something needs to be done. Hopefully, a solution can be found that protects ownership, proper parties are compensated and file share websites make money.

I'm in complete agreement. Although...the government getting involved in "policing the internet" REALLY bothers me, I've watched too many of our privacy rights vanish over the last decade.

It's a grey area fer sures. Enforcing laws is good and over regulation of anything is bad. You know they (government) will call it one thing and it will end up being something else altogether.

I don't know if this quote applies here, but last night as I was reading the Western Culture book I've checked out and this really caught my eye: "Just as the strength of the Internet is chaos, so the strength of our liberty depends upon the chaos and cacophony of the unfettered speech the First Amendment protects." -Judge Stewart Dalzell (1996)

The chapter is about order from chaos and making sense out of things that should not be controlled in a free and open society. This judge was unto something, even from the infancy of the Internet itself, which I believe should not be controlled by any government or organization. The way I see it, all this SOPA/PIPA crap is just a very very very small minority trying to control a huge majority, and that type of tyranny never goes over too well.

Fat Freddy wrote:

S.D. wrote:

I wonder how the current generation of teenagers will react if they actually have to purchase something?

They'll do what we did as broke teenagers. Wait till one of our friends buys something, and then dub a copy.

Exactly. It won't stop it...it just won't be as visible and revert to pre-internet speeds.

GrandNational wrote:

I don't know if this quote applies here, but last night as I was reading the Western Culture book I've checked out and this really caught my eye: "Just as the strength of the Internet is chaos, so the strength of our liberty depends upon the chaos and cacophony of the unfettered speech the First Amendment protects." -Judge Stewart Dalzell (1996)

The chapter is about order from chaos and making sense out of things that should not be controlled in a free and open society. This judge was unto something, even from the infancy of the Internet itself, which I believe should not be controlled by any government or organization. The way I see it, all this SOPA/PIPA crap is just a very very very small minority trying to control a huge majority, and that type of tyranny never goes over too well.

censorship and control are one thing, law breaking is another

GrandNational wrote:

The way I see it, all this SOPA/PIPA crap is just a very very very small minority trying to control a huge majority, and that type of tyranny never goes over too well.

That is part of it - a big part of it. Government ALWAYS wants more power and control. Some in Government want it all contained at one level and control over as much as possible. SOPA/PIPA is something that is out there to bring control of the internet to the Federal level. The Federalist/State Rights argument has been going on since before the Declaration Of Independence was signed.

I agree that something needs to be done about piracy, but NEVER at the cost of freedom. Granted more power to the Federal government is NOT something I can live with - it's got way too much now. The more power and control they take the less liberty we have.

I think this is what is missed in these arguments: we go on and on about the ideal of a free uncensored internet but I find it hard to believe that people wouldnt want law enforcement going online after those who try to engage in child porn, underage solicitation or the like. I dont think one can pretend because its the internet, laws shouldnt apply. I think if there isnt enforcement the utility of the internet will disappear - i dont want someone to be able to get off scott free after hacking my bank account because they did it on the web. I want them caught and prosecuted. Can monitoring go too far? Absolutely. Its our job to be vigilant and fight when necessary - like when people did with SOPA and like people did opposing the Fairness doctrine for radio stations.

thejokeriv wrote:

GrandNational wrote:

The way I see it, all this SOPA/PIPA crap is just a very very very small minority trying to control a huge majority, and that type of tyranny never goes over too well.

That is part of it - a big part of it. Government ALWAYS wants more power and control. Some in Government want it all contained at one level and control over as much as possible. SOPA/PIPA is something that is out there to bring control of the internet to the Federal level. The Federalist/State Rights argument has been going on since before the Declaration Of Independence was signed.

I agree that something needs to be done about piracy, but NEVER at the cost of freedom. Granted more power to the Federal government is NOT something I can live with - it's got way too much now. The more power and control they take the less liberty we have.

I dont disagree with the intent though - if I hold a copyright to a work of some kind, it is me, not anyone else who should has the right to determine how that work shall be distributed. Just because someone put it on the web does not change the ownership of the work.

exact33 wrote:

I think this is what is missed in these arguments: we go on and on about the ideal of a free uncensored internet but I find it hard to believe that people wouldnt want law enforcement going online after those who try to engage in child porn, underage solicitation or the like. I dont think one can pretend because its the internet, laws shouldnt apply. I think if there isnt enforcement the utility of the internet will disappear - i dont want someone to be able to get off scott free after hacking my bank account because they did it on the web. I want them caught and prosecuted. Can monitoring go too far? Absolutely. Its our job to be vigilant and fight when necessary - like when people did with SOPA and like people did opposing the Fairness doctrine for radio stations.

We already have laws against fraud and child porn. We should have those - we should punish those that commit illegal activity. What we shouldn't do is punish the masses because of the activity of the minority. It's just like being back in elementary school when one person threw a paper airplane or a spitball at the teacher so the entire class was punished and lost recess.