[PCWorld]

Post your comments for MegaUpload Takedown Proves SOPA / PIPA Are Unnecessary here

[Midnite1]

Taking down Megaupload, without due process was Illegal and criminal!

They never had their day in court, were never found guilty on any charges, so what were the authorities thinking, besides trying to prove that it could be done.
SOPA/PIPA will only give the authorities more ammunition to conduct more illegal activities and abuse people's rights!

The lawyers will have a field day in court with this one!!

[MonkeyMadness]

Midnite1, on 20 January 2012 - 10:51 AM, said:

Taking down Megaupload, without due process was Illegal and criminal!

They never had their day in court, were never found guilty on any charges, so what were the authorities thinking, besides trying to prove that it could be done.
SOPA/PIPA will only give the authorities more ammunition to conduct more illegal activities and abuse people's rights!

The lawyers will have a field day in court with this one!!

No it wasn't illegal or criminal, they were acting very much within the scope of the law. When they have had their day in court and they win they'll get their assets and website back. If they loose, they will loose them. It's the way the law always works. For example, if someone fell to their death and it was because of a suspected unsafe work space, would it not be irresponsible to allow those business practices - and that business location to continue to run until it was proven in court?

Would it not be irresponsible for a website to continue to run and make money while it is suspected as being used in a number of crimes?

[endemicpandemic]

MonkeyMadness, on 20 January 2012 - 07:53 PM, said:

Midnite1, on 20 January 2012 - 10:51 AM, said:

Taking down Megaupload, without due process was Illegal and criminal!

They never had their day in court, were never found guilty on any charges, so what were the authorities thinking, besides trying to prove that it could be done.
SOPA/PIPA will only give the authorities more ammunition to conduct more illegal activities and abuse people's rights!

The lawyers will have a field day in court with this one!!

No it wasn't illegal or criminal, they were acting very much within the scope of the law. When they have had their day in court and they win they'll get their assets and website back. If they loose, they will loose them. It's the way the law always works. For example, if someone fell to their death and it was because of a suspected unsafe work space, would it not be irresponsible to allow those business practices - and that business location to continue to run until it was proven in court?

Would it not be irresponsible for a website to continue to run and make money while it is suspected as being used in a number of crimes?

The viewpoint you put forth here is they are guilty until proven innocent, fundamentally incompatible with the nation's constitution the charges come from. Whether or not the law allows for this behavior isn't exactly relevant, since plenty of American laws and policies violate it's very own constitution. If the public knew how to read they would know the First Amendment is very clear; congress shall make no law. The 14th Amendment extends the first against the states, ensuring states can make no law either abridging freedom of speech.

Rights don't disappear because government can pass a law. If they pass a law that says they can come rape your wife, sister and mother on a regular basis, would you accept that or see that as a clear violation of your rights?

Besides, every single thinking person watching this case knows the "Justice" Dept wouldn't have bulled such bullshit if the 'suspect' was YouTube, would they? No, they'd let civil courts handle it, as it should be handled. The FBI shouldn't be used as any industry's personal hit squad, which is exactly that we have in America now. Senator quits (as in chooses not to seek re-election) after deal made to be MPAA spokesman, Chris Dodd, who just so happens to be a buddy of the Vice President's and Obama's.

What's going on in America is near the very definition of fascism and few cases highlight that more than the relationship between the conglomerate media and our politicians. If you can't see this, I feel sorry for you and the future of the republic. Freedom is doomed with such a weak-minded population.

[FredPierre]

The action taken by DOJ clearly shows the power of the government to control the web, with or without SOPA. They seized Megaupload domain names and immediately redirected the site. They confiscated the data of fifty-million plus worldwide users, many of whom paid hundreds of dollars per year for storage. For those users there was no due process, no appeal, just kill-switch-click and you lost your information.

This is the SOPA/PIPA world we live in - more and more government control of the internet. Yes, the Megaupload crew probably loved facilitating piracy. However the flimsy evidence in the case may not be convincing. After all, they are in New Zealand, which is not normally subject to US law. Except that now it is!

[Evildave]

Yup, a simple court order can have the police come in and take everything electronic you own, even the setup media, your CDs and DVD movies, and all the paper stuff, too. Completely empty out your house and strip it to the studs, if they can convince the judge there is 'probable cause' to do so. And you'll probably never see any of that equipment or data again before it's extremely obsolete, if ever. Let alone what it does to your deadlines.

They can do that to an individual, and they can do it to a company.

But it has to go before a judge.

The most relavent terms you want to look up are 'injunction' and 'search warrant'.

SOPA/PIPA cut that little bit with the judge out. Let anybody cut services at an administrative level and let the bureaucracy handle it, then make the victim go before a judge to convince them the plug pulling was wrong.

Of course, the internet was built on technology that was supposed to continue to function after a nuclear attack.

The same design philosophy can go into a distributed network for copyright infringement. When there are more file servers than cops/arrest teams available to serve warrants, it becomes difficult to make a dent in such a system. And if those file servers could be encoded into a 'botnet', then everyone who's 'infected' is a 'victim'.

You can also read about the raid on Steve Jackson Games. Refresh your memory on how STUPID the government is.
http://en.wikipedia....e_Jackson_Games
http://www.sjgames.com/SS/

An important lesson: If there's the slightest chance of a 'raid' performed by armed retards could shut your business down, be sure to have multiple off-site backups, and some at secret locations. Sneaker net with multi-terabyte raid boxes, for instance. Also because there could be a fire, flood, earthquake, tornado, etc. A backup doesn't do you any good if it's melted right along-side the original.

Judges are fickle creatures. The right one might sign anything for gung-ho idiots, or a DA trying to move into politics. The wrong one might NOT compensate you for what another judge was conned into.

[Al2dua]

Come on guys! I totally agree that the government is restricting our freedom but lets be honest with our self...!
We all knew what was going on in that website! If you have never watched a movie, then someone you know has...
I do not like the way that think went down, but they were making millions from pirated material and they were clearly breaking the law!

[MercyGrant]

BLACK MARCH
Thursday, March 1st to Saturday, March 31st, 2012

With the continuing campaigns for Internet-censoring legislation such as SOPA and PIPA, the closure of sites such as Megaupload under allegations of ‘piracy’ and ‘conspiracy’, the time has come to take a stand against music, film, and media companies’ lobbyists.

The only way is to hit them where it hurts.
Their profit margins.

March 2012 is the end of the 1st quarter in economic reports worldwide.

Do not buy a single record. Do not download a single song, legally or illegally. Do not go see a single film in cinemas, or download a copy. Do not buy a DVD in the stores. Do not buy a videogame. Do not buy a single book or magazine.

Wait the four weeks to buy them in April; see the film later, etc. Holding out for just four weeks, maximum, will leave a gaping hole in media and entertainment companies’ profits for the 1st quarter, an economic hit which will in turn be observed by governments worldwide as stocks and shares will blip from a large enough loss of incomes.

This action will give a statement of intent:

“We will not tolerate the Media Industries’ lobbying for legislation which will censor the internet.”

[MonkeyMadness]

endemicpandemic, on 20 January 2012 - 10:51 PM, said:

MonkeyMadness, on 20 January 2012 - 07:53 PM, said:

Midnite1, on 20 January 2012 - 10:51 AM, said:

Taking down Megaupload, without due process was Illegal and criminal!

They never had their day in court, were never found guilty on any charges, so what were the authorities thinking, besides trying to prove that it could be done.
SOPA/PIPA will only give the authorities more ammunition to conduct more illegal activities and abuse people's rights!

The lawyers will have a field day in court with this one!!

No it wasn't illegal or criminal, they were acting very much within the scope of the law. When they have had their day in court and they win they'll get their assets and website back. If they loose, they will loose them. It's the way the law always works. For example, if someone fell to their death and it was because of a suspected unsafe work space, would it not be irresponsible to allow those business practices - and that business location to continue to run until it was proven in court?

Would it not be irresponsible for a website to continue to run and make money while it is suspected as being used in a number of crimes?

The viewpoint you put forth here is they are guilty until proven innocent, fundamentally incompatible with the nation's constitution the charges come from. Whether or not the law allows for this behavior isn't exactly relevant, since plenty of American laws and policies violate it's very own constitution. If the public knew how to read they would know the First Amendment is very clear; congress shall make no law. The 14th Amendment extends the first against the states, ensuring states can make no law either abridging freedom of speech.

Rights don't disappear because government can pass a law. If they pass a law that says they can come rape your wife, sister and mother on a regular basis, would you accept that or see that as a clear violation of your rights?

Besides, every single thinking person watching this case knows the "Justice" Dept wouldn't have bulled such bullshit if the 'suspect' was YouTube, would they? No, they'd let civil courts handle it, as it should be handled. The FBI shouldn't be used as any industry's personal hit squad, which is exactly that we have in America now. Senator quits (as in chooses not to seek re-election) after deal made to be MPAA spokesman, Chris Dodd, who just so happens to be a buddy of the Vice President's and Obama's.

What's going on in America is near the very definition of fascism and few cases highlight that more than the relationship between the conglomerate media and our politicians. If you can't see this, I feel sorry for you and the future of the republic. Freedom is doomed with such a weak-minded population.

Of course YouTube isn't charging users to upload over 1GB or download with speed or frequency are they? That's why megaupload is being charged with criminal copyright violations as they making money from it. Sort of like when they find out someone is selling knock-offs, once they have the court order they shut them down and confiscate their horde. Why? Because it is EVIDENCE. Also because it's unsellable and people may have orders with them for products, they'll be out of the money because it's the way the law is.

Also you'll note that copyright isn't the only reason they have been picked up. Clearly this is something that has been investigated for quite a time with the assistance of the NZ police. It isn't just a gung-ho, "they have movies on their servers". So until we have greater information isn't it a bit early to assume the FBI acted rashly? (and on the flip side, it's also early to be saying they did right). We'll know as the case continues... and only then if it's made public.

PS. Everyone really is guilty until proven innocent until you think about. Once someone is charged they are jailed until they are bailed (if they can be). They are then restricted in where they can travel etc etc etc. Innocent until proven guilty is a nice moniker, but it is far from being a fact.

[MonkeyMadness]

endemicpandemic, on 20 January 2012 - 10:51 PM, said:

MonkeyMadness, on 20 January 2012 - 07:53 PM, said:

Midnite1, on 20 January 2012 - 10:51 AM, said:

Taking down Megaupload, without due process was Illegal and criminal!

They never had their day in court, were never found guilty on any charges, so what were the authorities thinking, besides trying to prove that it could be done.
SOPA/PIPA will only give the authorities more ammunition to conduct more illegal activities and abuse people's rights!

The lawyers will have a field day in court with this one!!

No it wasn't illegal or criminal, they were acting very much within the scope of the law. When they have had their day in court and they win they'll get their assets and website back. If they loose, they will loose them. It's the way the law always works. For example, if someone fell to their death and it was because of a suspected unsafe work space, would it not be irresponsible to allow those business practices - and that business location to continue to run until it was proven in court?

Would it not be irresponsible for a website to continue to run and make money while it is suspected as being used in a number of crimes?

The viewpoint you put forth here is they are guilty until proven innocent, fundamentally incompatible with the nation's constitution the charges come from. Whether or not the law allows for this behavior isn't exactly relevant, since plenty of American laws and policies violate it's very own constitution. If the public knew how to read they would know the First Amendment is very clear; congress shall make no law. The 14th Amendment extends the first against the states, ensuring states can make no law either abridging freedom of speech.

Rights don't disappear because government can pass a law. If they pass a law that says they can come rape your wife, sister and mother on a regular basis, would you accept that or see that as a clear violation of your rights?

Besides, every single thinking person watching this case knows the "Justice" Dept wouldn't have bulled such bullshit if the 'suspect' was YouTube, would they? No, they'd let civil courts handle it, as it should be handled. The FBI shouldn't be used as any industry's personal hit squad, which is exactly that we have in America now. Senator quits (as in chooses not to seek re-election) after deal made to be MPAA spokesman, Chris Dodd, who just so happens to be a buddy of the Vice President's and Obama's.

What's going on in America is near the very definition of fascism and few cases highlight that more than the relationship between the conglomerate media and our politicians. If you can't see this, I feel sorry for you and the future of the republic. Freedom is doomed with such a weak-minded population.

Of course YouTube isn't charging users to upload over 1GB or download with speed or frequency are they? That's why megaupload is being charged with criminal copyright violations as they making money from it. Sort of like when they find out someone is selling knock-offs, once they have the court order they shut them down and confiscate their horde. Why? Because it is EVIDENCE. Also because it's unsellable and people may have orders with them for products, they'll be out of the money because it's the way the law is.

Also you'll note that copyright isn't the only reason they have been picked up. Clearly this is something that has been investigated for quite a time with the assistance of the NZ police. It isn't just a gung-ho, "they have movies on their servers". So until we have greater information isn't it a bit early to assume the FBI acted rashly? (and on the flip side, it's also early to be saying they did right). We'll know as the case continues... and only then if it's made public.

PS. Everyone really is guilty until proven innocent until you think about. Once someone is charged they are jailed until they are bailed (if they can be). They are then restricted in where they can travel etc etc etc. Innocent until proven guilty is a nice moniker, but it is far from being a fact.

[TroyMartin]

SOPA and PIPA have served a valid

function in public debate. To add

value, I question whether or not

Megauploads would have been a popular

website had it agreed to protect

royalties due to artist, authors,

video game programmers and anyone or

entity with valid claims to IP

investment return? I am a technical

consultant at File Secure Pro, a

digital rights management vendor. IP

protection of PDF ebook authors is a

our core business. Our clients agree

the bills need balance to overcome

concerns for freedom of expression

and unforseen and unintended

consequences. Nonetheless, I think

everyone can see in plain view that

IP theft is almost considered a

victimless crime. That it only hurts

the conscience of the file sharer. I

think the Internet needs self-

regulation and one method is friendly

drm with multiple keys for sharing.

Dutch futurist Marcel Bullinga sees a

Cloud Seal in the future whereby IP

ownership is individualized and not

corporate. I think if the issue of

IP is made personal, more file

sharers will identify with the loss

and support excellent creators of

digial IP.

[DanoSmith]

MONEY SEE,MONEY DO...

This is about who will be the big boy on the CLOUD...
MS and some other will sell out your privacy in exchange for a
"license" KIM would not.
FOLLOW THE MONEY!