MPAA: the Impact of Megaupload's Shutdown Was 'Massive' 308
An anonymous reader writes "The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) has declared that the Megaupload shutdown earlier this year has been a great success. In a filing to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, the group representing major movie studios says the file hosting and sharing industry has been massively disrupted. Yet the MPAA says there is still work to be done, identifying sites that make available to downloaders 'unauthorized copies of high-quality, recently-released content and in some cases, coordinate the actual upload and download of that content.' Here's the list of sites, including where they are hosted: Extratorrent (Ukraine), IsoHunt (Canada), Kickass Torrents (Canada), Rutracker (Russia), The Pirate Bay (Sweden), Torrentz (Canada), and Kankan (China)."
Yeah right... (Score:5, Funny)
It was a successful operation in the same way as arresting the whole world prevents crime.
Re:Yeah right... (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Yeah right... (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Yeah right... (Score:4, Interesting)
Hey, at least back then they actually busted people for tax fraud.
These days, you can sell overpriced services to yourself to guarantee yourself a loss. Because everyone else participates in the same scam, so it's not "overpriced" any more... right.
Re: (Score:2)
But internet users defend megaload by basically approving of a site thats primary useage is stealing things
You might get more people to believe your tripe if you stopped calling copyright infringement theft. It's not theft. Even the MPAA can't legally claim that. It's a TORT. So get off your MPAA high horse... and the next time you want to post something... shoot yourself in the face.
Thanks (Score:5, Funny)
I live in Canada, and I'm very proud that we have so many torrent sites (I didn't know that). From all of us who live up here: fuck you MPAA.
Re: (Score:3)
Harper already put an end to it. The copyright protection law passed [mondaq.com] as was absolutely clear would happen once the conservatives have a majority.
The MPAA is already gearing up to bring downloader lawsuits up North.
Betcha the torrent sites will be targeted as well.
Elections have consequences.
Re:Thanks (Score:5, Informative)
Puke (Score:5, Insightful)
"The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) has declared that the Megaupload shutdown earlier this year has been a great success"
Never mind the fact that the shutdown itself was conducted illegally, and that thousands of legitimate users and businesses were harmed.
Fuck you MPAA. You're the boy with his finger plugging a hole in a dike, and the water's pouring over the top.
Re:Puke (Score:5, Insightful)
Never mind the fact that the shutdown itself was conducted illegally, and that thousands of legitimate users and businesses were harmed.
What are you talking about? It proved that they control the world's law enforcement AND can act with absolute impunity to the Little People(tm)! That's what makes it a complete resounding success to them!
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3)
Maybe not "every" but I find it hard to imagine they don't have a grip on "enough."
Figure it this way... since the selection of sociopaths willing to take orders is pretty slim, "dehumanizing the enemy" is going to be a staple of training. Combine that with the fact that you've got good chunks of both red and blue teams of idiots ready to declare the others "terrorists" and "traitors" and you've got a recipe for some potent sublimation there.
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
was conducted illegally,
With you so far. The whole thing was a clusterfsck.
and that thousands of legitimate users and businesses were harmed.
Not buying this though.
Well, OK, perhaps thousands. But percentage-wise, what would you guess as to number of legit files vs infringing files?
F*** you MPAA.
With you here again.
Re:Puke (Score:5, Interesting)
Comment removed (Score:5, Funny)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
The day is coming where it will occur to one of their accountants that they could drastically reduce piracy by simply killing all their customers.
Yes, yes it was. (Score:5, Insightful)
It was destructive to legitimate file sharing too.
And illegal, very illegal.
Re: (Score:2)
I was trying to root an old android device and put a custom ROM on it, and guess what? Most of the files were hosted on megaupload. I ended up spending more time looking for the files hosted on other sites than I spent actually messing with rooting.
I don't expect the kind, awesome people who created the rooting tools to check on stuff they uploaded 3 years ago and make sure links aren't broken; it would be nice if there was at least one place where you could safely store public files that won't be shut do
Re:Yes, yes it was. (Score:5, Interesting)
Now, I tend think Slashdot is generally just pro-piracy because they want to stick it corporations--they want all the music for free, all the movies for free, all the software for free, like some sort of God-given entitlement. Face it folks, you do have to pay for content.
I think for a lot of people, piracy is less about getting something for free, and more about a refusal to continue playing by a set rules that are counterproductive to the progression of society as a whole. People are fed up with this whole concept of "Intellectual Property," and it's spreading more and more every year. The media empire is drastically attempting to sway our thinking back to the old ways, but they are fighting an uphill battle, as people are beginning to realize what is best for the media empire is not what is best for the progress of society. We no longer need IP to "force" us to create! The internet has made it quite evident that it is human nature to explore new ideas, create, and to be creative. What we need more than ever is access to free flowing (uncensored) ideas and information from all over the globe. This more than anything will bring us together as a species, and allow us to progress in a direction that is not just ideal for the privileged few, but to every human being on this planet. I strongly believe that Intellectual Property is counterproductive to this goal.
It was a good ride, but it's time for Big Media to go. Let's start by abolishing all concepts of Intellectual Property, and simply make plagiarism illegal instead.
Re: (Score:3)
Art is much better when it is done for it's own sake rather than crass materialism.
As the other guy said:
> We no longer need IP to "force" us to create!
Re: (Score:2)
Anything can be considered Art.
Re: (Score:2)
Anything can be considered Art.
Yeah, that's what's so cool about it. Endless possibilities.
Re: (Score:2)
Re:Yes, yes it was. (Score:5, Informative)
Re: (Score:3)
I need to post large content on the internet for download by a lot of people, and I don't want to use my own hosting bandwidth.
I actually found it useful in the opposite sense, since the downloader pays. I was doing some data processing which took a lot of data in and output, naturally, much less.
People could send me data by uploading it to megaupload (quick and easy) and then sending me the link. Since I was the downloader, I only had to pay once, and I could download it.
I ended up resorting to it after
Re:Yes, yes it was. (Score:4, Insightful)
Few and far between? You seem to know so much, why don't you cough some numbers instead of "fancy" quotation marks around words you wish to mock? You're implying guilt, so lets see the proof. Not to mention that it's unacceptable (this is not up for compromize) for civilized society to blame an innocent for being at the wrong place at the wrong time.
Don't deny that you are accusing and condemning without providing a shred of justification. You are NOT smarter than the court system, AC. You've not enough to be able to back that claim up.
Refrain from telling others what to do and how to do it. You are insignificant, and your advice is petty and in bad taste. You promote fear and insecurity amonst the people, thus are a disease upon humanity.
You're small and you're thinking in small terms. Ironically, they have nothing to do with the reality of the situation. Read the GPL, at least once before you so arrogantly stick a reference to it into the paragraph I'm about to address.
It must have really hurt your head to fall off of that cloud you've spent a decade hovering in. A strawman so fragile, I hope you already feel incredibly stupid for posting anything at all.
Re: (Score:2)
Suppose I said that the legal process that was blatantly bypassed was designed to protect innocent bystanders?
Re: (Score:2)
> The "legitimate" file sharing was few and far between
That is really no more than wishful thinking on your part.
You want to demonize the victim here in order to cloud the fact that this was all highly illegal and contrary to the basic legal principles of both nations involved.
Even the guys that pulled the trigger at the Boston Massacre had rights as Americans or Englishmen.
Checks my SickBeard and CouchPotato (Score:5, Interesting)
This was a triumph. (Score:5, Funny)
Re: (Score:2, Funny)
Re: (Score:2)
A portal reference getting -1?
What the hell is up with the mods today?
Yay piracy is over! (Score:4, Funny)
Thanks! (Score:4, Insightful)
We all owe the MPAA a hearty thank-you for telling us where we can steal their movies in the post-Megauplod era.
What they didn't say (Score:5, Insightful)
The MPAA's original paper: http://de.scribd.com/doc/115644694/NOT-Motion-Picture-Association-of-America-Final [scribd.com]
They brag about how much money they are making and speak in passing about the "massive" impact of closing down Megaupload. The one thing that seems to be conspicuously missing is any estimate of how much more money they made due to the reduction in "piracy".
Re:What they didn't say (Score:5, Interesting)
Exactly.
If they are "losing" money due to "piracy" then why does Piracy NEVER show up on the balance books for EACH movie?
Re:What they didn't say (Score:5, Insightful)
Exactly.
If they are "losing" money due to "piracy" then why does Piracy NEVER show up on the balance books for EACH movie?
I'm actually surprised that it doesn't. It would make the whole "Hollywood Accounting" thing easier to pull off, letting them pay the actors and writers even less because the film made less money.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
It's not the IRS that they have to worry about. It's the SEC. When it's doing it's job, that organization is the most draconian and fascist component of the US government by far.
Plus, putting things down officially in SEC filings opens you up for stockholder litigation.
Of course Big Media want it both ways. Whether or not IP is to be treated as property or non-property is purely a matter of whim and their personal interests in a moment in time.
Re: (Score:2)
Piracy isn't an expense, so you can't actually deduct it.
Re: (Score:2)
More like you can't lose money you never got in the first place.
Success != Money (Score:5, Interesting)
So in other words, their profits suddenly shot up by some "massive" amount? I mean that's really the only reason to go to the trouble (and cost) of shutting stuff like this down, is to recover some revenue, right? After all, that is the only kind of success that matters to the content producers, is making more money for their effort.
FTA:
Interestingly, recently published research suggests that shuttering Megaupload may have even had a negative impact on box office revenues. In a recent blog post MPAA’s head of research Julia Jenks said the short paper is “not clear or compelling,” but it’s an indication that the Megaupload shutdown might not be all that positive for the industry itself either.
Oops. Spin it, Julia. Spin it round and round.
Re: (Score:2)
Right! And you can only assume they will pass those savings onto the consumer. I expect movie prices to drop dramatically any moment now...
any moment now...
hmm...
Re: (Score:2)
or in other words, all those damages they've been claiming? Complete nonsense.
Or alternatively, by pirating a movie you are actually helping the movie industry. Where's your cut of the profits??
Not according to the box office results (Score:5, Insightful)
Or this more in depth analysis which concludes:
"We find that the shutdown had a negative, yet insignificant effect on box office revenues.This counterintuitive result may suggest support for the theoretical perspective of (social) network effects where file-sharing acts as a mechanism to spread information about a good from consumers with zero or low willingness to pay to users with high willingness to pay."
http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2176246
Piracy down, along with ticket sales (Score:2, Informative)
http://entertainment.slashdot.org/story/12/11/25/1654201/researchers-find-megaupload-shutdown-hurt-box-office-revenues
Let's cut off our nose to spite our face!
WooHoo for Canada (Score:4, Funny)
All others are #2 or worse!
Speaking as a pirate, (Score:5, Informative)
If not for all the slashdot coverage, I wouldn't even have noticed.
But did they sell any move movie tickets? (Score:3, Insightful)
This provides a really good opportunity to measure a decline in piracy against an increase in ticket and DVD/Bluray sales. If they aren't talking about how much more money they're making, I think we can safely assume that the mantra that piracy != lost sales is true.
They completely missed all the new sites (Score:5, Informative)
:) They totally missed the largest streaming sites or link sites entirely.
http://www.solarmovie.so/ (http://www.solarmovie.eu/)
http://www.tv-links.eu/
http://www.vidics.eu/
http://www.movs.eu/
http://www.watchseries.eu
http://www.youtube.com/ (mostly good old stuff, but still a great source for that content)
If you want more just do a Google search for ”some obscure movie or tv show site:eu” and you'll find it on the first page of Google's results. This works for any movie and not just obscure stuff. Humorously it is easier to find stuff this way then Netflix, Hulu, etc.
Re: (Score:2)
Whack a mole (Score:5, Funny)
It always feels like a success when you whack the first mole.. but then 2 of its friends appear later..
Eventually the moles eat you.
title tag should have been "mission accomplished" (Score:3, Funny)
OMG, they're coordinating! (Score:2)
"... in some cases, coordinate the actual upload and download of that content"
You bastards!
Did it lead to more purchases? (Score:3)
Serious question: Fair enough that they disrupted a lot of traffic, but did it get redirected anywhere positive?
Did sales go up? This is a pretty important question that they don't seem to be answering.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
...or you could just wait for it to show up on some cable channel or even a local broadcast channel. Plus there's Netflix.
Netflix already has established itself as a zero marginal cost option.
Re: (Score:2)
Oh yeah, that worked... (Score:2)
Massive impact! (Score:3)
Piracy on Megaupload after shutdown: 0. Infinite reduction in piracy!
Piracy on mediums other than Megaupload Before: unknown.
Piracy on mediums other than Megaupload Before: unknown still, but greater than before.
There, fixed that for you (Score:3)
"Here's the list of sites, including where they are hosted: Extratorrent (Ukraine), IsoHunt (Canada), Kickass Torrents (Canada), Rutracker (Russia), The Pirate Bay (Everywhere), Torrentz (Canada), and Kankan (China)."
Source:
http://torrentfreak.com/pirate-bay-moves-to-the-cloud-becomes-raid-proof-121017/ [torrentfreak.com]
you mean "massive fail" (Score:3)
Its made it that much harder for a small projects(FOSS types) to host large files associated with them.
In case your wondering, its just as easy as it was before to get pirated material from a site that flaunts its pirate status, "The Pirate Bay"
Rest assured good freinds, you can still get your mindless RIAA sponsored pop music pirate, entirely unabated.
https://thepiratebay.se/search/britney%20spears/0/99/0
"Great success" (Score:3, Insightful)
You know what else would make a massive impact? (Score:4, Insightful)
The example I like to use:
I will offer this advice to the entire media industry, free of charge, no royalties asked, in the public domain, no nonsense, no copyright, you're free to use it. Forever.
... well, can do nothing more than they did a decade ago because of crippling DRM.
How to Single-Handedly Obsolete Piracy and Earn Record Profits without Criminalizing your Customers and Building a PR Track Record Worse than Beelzebub's: provide video files in MPEG4/DivX/whatever reasonably universal format, without DRM expropriating our computers, for a reasonable price, offer fast download speeds (at least fast enough to stream) and offer it worldwide.
That is actually a lot simpler than it sounds; certainly a whole lot simpler than all that lawyering, backroom meetings and trying to figure out how to expropriate every computer in the world.
Not only will you have millions, possibly billions-with-a-B, customers who can't give you enough of their money, but you will be opening the door to scads of businesses who will make products that increase the value of your products and have customers begging to buy more.
This is evidenced empirically by history: look at how unencumbered VCRs, CDs and MP3s exploded with infinite third-party possibilities and compare them to DVDs which
Why is it so hard for these people to embrace technology? Why is every technological progression in history perceived as a threat? Is there a fundamental disconnect between them and their customers? Are they just stupid? Overly stubborn, technologically xenophobic dinosaurs? Too lazy to rework their business model? Too greedy about short-term profits too realize the long-term effects? What is it???
Re: (Score:2)
for a reasonable price
Please define this. I expect a long thread of counter posts to yours to ensue.
Re: (Score:3)
I have a better way to ensure that no one can "pirate" my works: Don't make them unless I'll get paid to do so. After you've done the work, the public has paid you to do, then everyone gets copies for free (or only the cost to make the copy). The trick is asking for enough money to fund my development up front, you know, like a home builder or a mechanic will give you an estimate for their work.
In short: Get paid up front or get a contract (see: crowd-funding, consignments, etc). Let the public pay a
Dear MPAA (Score:2)
Somewhere in here there's a joke...I know it. (Score:2)
[snips dynamite fuse]
Franz Liebkind: Zis is critical.
[lights fuse with match]
Franz Liebkind: Ha ha ha, ja ja, you see zis? You see zis here vat I have told you? Yeah, zis is an example of smartness here. I have said that zis is ze quick fuse. Huh? And zis IS ze quick fuse.
[pause]
All: THE QUICK FUSE!
[explosion]
Piracy is the new legitimate use (Score:4, Insightful)
The excuse for "intellectual property" was that it would serve as an incentive to the creation of new works; it was supposed to enrich culture and technology for all by eventually becoming public domain. But the constant copyright extensions mean their very purpose was subverted: instead, it now hinders everyone's access to a massive cultural trove. That's why people can't see piracy as wrong: if anything, it performs that duty now!
Re:Doesn't help (Score:5, Interesting)
It is pretty clear it seems to anyone but you that the evidence so far is that Megaupload WAS NOT being used as a gigantic, unregulated store for pirated content, which is why the case is completely falling over. Sure the shutdown was massive but massive in a bad for the US in-Justice system and, US Foreign Relations. It is blatantly clear both were manipulated via corporate interests through the Vice Presidents office and at the instructions of psychopathic corporate executives a company was destroyed so they could be made a public example. In the great fishing expedition it was expected that evidence would be uncovered to justify the destruction as prior to the destruction the evidence was not there. However us the case unfolds with evidence lacking, the only real investigation that needs to be conducted is one of corruption of the US legal system by US corporations.
Re:Doesn't help (Score:5, Informative)
Err... what? The shutdown of Megaupload, especially in the way it was handled, was a massive disaster in terms of legitimacy, due process, and justice, which is why the case is now completely falling over, as you say.
However, to suggest that Megaupload was not used by many as a gigantic, mostly unregulated store for pirated content is utterly ridiculous. Megavideo links of a vast array of television shows and movies were present in essentially every streaming links website, now mostly replaced with sites like videobb and vidbux. Yahoo Answers still has quite a few questions from naive users asking about how to find movies and tv shows on Megavideo, along with numerous answers. Searching for warez and pirated books from prior years will come up with quite a few megaupload links.
Megaupload certainly had legitimate uses, but piracy was a major, major use. That may not have been a legitimate reason to shut it down (and certainly wasn't justification for the way it was done), but I don't think anyone can argue that Megavideo, for example, didn't have much, much more pirated content than, say, Youtube or Vimeo.
News Flash! (Score:4, Funny)
In the news today, the MPAA still can't find its ass, despite utilizing both arms and a road map, in a lit room. Film at 11.
Re:Doesn't help (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Doesn't help (Score:4, Insightful)
No, it's technically not the exact same thing. When you walk out of a store with the CD, you are depriving the STORE of their personal property (the CD). There actually is a difference, both morally and ethically: "piracy" does not deprive anyone of their property, only the revenue from the sale.
I'm not disagreeing that both should be crimes. But the financial and civil penalties of the latter (copyright infringement) are actually HIGHER than the former. And that's not right, either.
Re: (Score:3)
Well another way to look at it (and I AM a pirate btw, a very serial offender too, see my last post) is that when you shoplift from a store, all you're really doing is depriving them of profit. In the end, every buyer will be able to purchase their goods anyways, and the store in most cases will be able to re-stock the item before it is completely gone (I used to work retail, we regularly did cycle counts to proactively identify stolen property.)
And no I don't shoplift. The main reason I pirate is because I
Re:Doesn't help (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Doesn't help (Score:5, Insightful)
a) taking your brain away and bringing it back 90 minutes later
b) making a copy of your brain
It's not like you're using your brain much anyway. So no difference right?
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3)
So what if I go into a store pick up the last copy of the latest release movie. I then wander around the store, carrying the disk, no one else can buy it. After this I get a phone call from my partner saying they've downloaded the film. So I go and put it back on the shelf, don't have to buy that now.
What's the difference? The store has deprived of the ability to sell that last copy of the movie for 90 minutes. So as you suggest I should pay a rental fee right? Everything is awesome right, no one has been deprived of anything that they rightfully deserved.
The difference is, the store permits you to carry around their copy as part of the cost of running a store. They take the (small) chance that items picked up won't actually be purchased. The cost to them of you carrying it around for 90 minutes it minimal (probably zero in most cases, since they have enough stock to "float" the supply while you stupidly carry it around). For the last item, you could potentially cost them a sale, but if it is a sell-out item, then they will probably sell it shortly after.
Re: (Score:3)
Re:Doesn't help (Score:5, Interesting)
Megaupload certainly had legitimate uses, but piracy was a major, major use. That may not have been a legitimate reason to shut it down (and certainly wasn't justification for the way it was done), but I don't think anyone can argue that Megavideo, for example, didn't have much, much more pirated content than, say, Youtube or Vimeo.
Well, by all accounts the shutdown actually HURT box office sales [techdirt.com]. It was also reported here on Slashdot [slashdot.org].
Maybe it was just nerd rage, refusing to go to the movies ever again!
Re: (Score:3)
I'm a huge pirate, I literally pirate at least 4+ tv shows or movies daily (not necessarily by myself, but other people in my household who I've provided access to.) I also regularly download other things that are otherwise considered illegal (e.g. last night I downloaded a bunch of Cisco IOS images for a net simulator, as well as a training manual.)
Yet I have not once ever relied upon megaupload for piracy, even while they were in their heyday.
Re: (Score:3)
So, Let's continue...
However, to suggest that The Internet was not used by many as a gigantic, mostly unregulated store for pirated content is utterly ridiculous. Website links of a vast array of television shows and movies were present in essentially every streaming links website, now mostly replaced with other sites. Q/A Websites still have quite a few questions from naive users asking about how to find movies and tv shows on the Internet, along with numerous answers. Searching for warez and pirated books from prior years will come up with quite a few website links.
The Internet certainly had legitimate uses, but piracy was a major, major use. That may not have been a legitimate reason to shut it down (and certainly wasn't justification for the way it was done), but I don't think anyone can argue that The Internet, for example, didn't have much, much more pirated content than, say, TV or Movie Theaters.
If the DMCA, safe harbor provisions are meaningless, then we're all fucked.
Re:Doesn't help (Score:5, Insightful)
...pirated content, and that does take money away from content creators.
Please provide sources showing loss of revenue from piracy. PS. I'm an actual content creator, indie game developer, so if I was bias...
Re:Doesn't help (Score:5, Funny)
Some people only wish that copyright infringement had the ability to actually take money away from content creators! Why, if it did, they could download the content over and over until the MPAA, RIAA, and all those other guys died off!
Re:Doesn't help (Score:5, Insightful)
You forget that the "MPAA, RIAA, and all those other guys" are NOT the content creators.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Re: (Score:3)
That's true, but if it took money away from them, they'd die off all the same.
Re:Doesn't help (Score:5, Interesting)
I really don't understand what the hoopla about content is. I stream in Netflix and have a basement full of VHS tapes. I have yet to figure out why any of it was worth saving or why I bother to keep watching. Most television shows amount to " I Love Lucy", "Dragnet" or "The Price is Right" with tweaks. Movies are outright regurgitation of previous works without exception. Who really is getting paid for this? The originators are long dead and the flunkies who worked on these projects are already paid. The studios who made them are already paid, over and over, through advertising , sales (suckers who bother to purchase hard copies that will gather dust just like all my VHS I mentioned earlier). Maybe this is just about lawyers creating a stream of revenue for themselves. Maybe if we sprinkle "Roach-Pruf" around, this will go away.
Silly asses!
Re:Doesn't help (Score:5, Interesting)
I really don't understand what the hoopla about content is. I stream in Netflix and have a basement full of VHS tapes. I have yet to figure out why any of it was worth saving or why I bother to keep watching. Most television shows amount to " I Love Lucy", "Dragnet" or "The Price is Right" with tweaks. Movies are outright regurgitation of previous works without exception. Who really is getting paid for this? The originators are long dead and the flunkies who worked on these projects are already paid. The studios who made them are already paid, over and over, through advertising , sales (suckers who bother to purchase hard copies that will gather dust just like all my VHS I mentioned earlier). Maybe this is just about lawyers creating a stream of revenue for themselves. Maybe if we sprinkle "Roach-Pruf" around, this will go away.
Silly asses!
I actually like rewatching old movies.
I'm mid way through copying my 200 DVD's to my home fileserver so it's even easier to watch them. So far, I've run across two that I couldn't copy due to copy protection on the DVD (Wall-E, and some other Disney movie, I think it was Cars). I think there's some Windows software to bypass the protection, but it didn't take long to find a copy online that I could download.
I wonder if my cable company ratted me out for bittorrenting the two movies? Maybe the movie industry will sue me for downloading movies that I already paid for.
I dropped my Netflix disks-by-mail plan and started buying used DVD's from Amazon -- they are pretty cheap, I usually pay $5 or $6 including shipping, so I can buy 3 movies/month for about the same as I was paying for the Netflix subscription.
Megaupload probably wasn't doing much piracy (Score:4, Insightful)
Before the takedown, we all thought that. Me too. After the takedown, the US and NZ governments' behaviors indicate that once they saw actual evidence, it didn't point that way. They no longer think Dotcom is a crook and apparently either intend to acquit him or get the charges dismissed.
Re: (Score:2)
So the media industry talked congress and the justice department into not only violating our constitutional rights but the rights of people in other countries and you think they are going to let a little thing like "market forces" stop them? You can't even buy a TV with a video output anymore! They're illegal!
Re:Doesn't help (Score:5, Insightful)
"I don't take issue with the shutdown since Megaupload"
Irregardless of the legalities or the morality of what MU was doing, or not doing, the shutdown was a miscarriage of justice. MPAA is saying here, that the end justified the means. In effect, it doesn't matter that all parties to the shutdown FAILED to prosecute MU for anything, and they FAILED to prove that MU was doing anything. It only matters that Hollywood is making money.
Step down a little, from huge international servers, to your own home town. Do you have a problem with the mayor sending a swat team to crash your door down, confiscate your computers, and haul you to court because - ohhhh - maybe you published an unflattering picture of the mayor? Or, your kid is a "terroristic bully who has hacked my child's facebook account"? Or, you published an editorial opposing the mayor's plans for an "emminent domain" project?
Remember, what goes around, comes around.
Re: (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
obligatory Weird Al reference [youtube.com]
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
There is no clear evidence that prostitution has made any women more lonely either. Your point?