Megaupload the largest file sharing sites on the internet had been close down today by US federal prosecutors due to a piracy act, The United States Justice Department filed charges against MegaUpload today, calling the file-sharing service an "international organized criminal enterprise allegedly responsible for massive worldwide online piracy.". As we know megaupload was widely known and used for free downloads of movies and television shows. Now its founder and several company officials were accused of facilitating millions of illegal downloads of films, music and other content. The Justice Department said in a statement said that Kim Dotcom (Megaupload Founder), and three other employees were arrested Thursday in New Zealand at the request of U.S. officials. Three other defendants are at large.
After receiving indictments from a grand jury in Virginia for racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy to commit copyright infringement and other charges on Jan. 5, federal authorities on Thursday arrested four people and executed more than 20 search warrants in the U.S. and eight foreign countries, seizing 18 domain names and an estimated $50 million in assets, including servers run in Virginia and Washington, D.C.
MegaUpload is a "digital locker" that allows users to store files that can then be streamed or downloaded by others. Its subsidiary site MegaVideo became very popular for the unauthorized downloads of movies and TV shows. Users whose uploaded content proved particularly popular were paid for their participation.
The complaint charges Dotcom, his executives, the MegaUpload Limited company and a second company called Vestor Limited which Dotcom used to shield his personal assets. Specifically, the charges are:
engaging in a racketeering conspiracy
conspiring to commit copyright infringement
conspiring to commit money laundering
two substantive counts of criminal copyright infringement
RIP Megaupload 2005-2012.
Source : Various news portal
