Megaupload has been shut down [Archive] - Official Fulqrum Publishing forum

Sternjaeger II

01-20-2012, 10:04 AM

I will play the conspiracy theory card: Elvis got annoyed about his music being downloaded for free, so from the comfort of his Moon base he talked to the giant lizards living under the Earth crust and they forced the X-Files office of the FBI to close Megauploads..

I'm still investigating whether Hitler was involved in this too, but my agents in Brazil said it's all quiet there.

On a more serious note, this is the sign of how powerful record labels and cinema majors have become. The world would be such a better place without these money grabbing ba$tards, but hey, they're there and have no intention of going anywhere.

You can still produce fantastic films without insane budgets (frankly, spending hundreds of million dollars on a movie is one of the most abhorrent things ever), and musicians can still make their own independent labels. Problem is that esp. the music industry has become a proper multimillion profitable business, where managers sit down around a table and design artists, bands and fashions to go with that..

Sternjaeger II

01-20-2012, 10:04 AM

Don't really have a problem with it. It will focus the minds of those who run other similar sites to do more to combat illegal file sharing.

PPP

which is virtually impossible...

pupo162

01-20-2012, 10:20 AM

utter BS

im pretty sure i've downloaded every il2 patch from there.

Megaupload is a very 2005 way for piracy. i mainly use it for legal stuff now a days.

i've every single USL briefing ive made in there.

the american lot should go and put it up is back. its not your internet, stop trying to control it.

lets just wait for megaupload to switch is servers to a true free country.

Continu0

01-20-2012, 10:58 AM

the american lot should go and put it up is back. its not your internet, stop trying to control it.

My words... Internet is a place where people can think freely and therefore should have very little limitations... (I am not saying there shouldn´t be any limitations...!)

PeterPanPan

01-20-2012, 11:10 AM

bongodriver

01-20-2012, 11:16 AM

OK, so I have a very large and successful shop in any city, in any country. I have thousands of customers and turn a nice profit. I sell mainly legitimate stuff, but some of the stuff I know (or ought to know, it's my shop after all) is stolen. Is that ok?

PPP

in that particular case obviously no, but what about ebay? ebay don't sell the items but who is to say if the individuals selling are legit? do we shut down ebay?

TomcatViP

01-20-2012, 11:17 AM

The question is what will they do with all the legal stuff user hve uploaded ?

Some don't even hev any backups. Are the USA so broke that the FBI need to do some robbery ? Or did they sent an advice ?

For me it looks like as if the police was ordering a USAF B52 to bomb a highway just to stop a pursuit.

winny

01-20-2012, 11:18 AM

utter BS

lets just wait for megaupload to switch is servers to a true free country.

Do you mean a country where theft is acceptable when you say free? What makes you think you're above the law?

You admit to using if for illegal downloads yet blame "the Americans"

You want to blame someone, blame the people who committed the crime not the people enforcing it. If people weren't using it for illegal stuff it would still be there.

PeterPanPan

01-20-2012, 11:25 AM

in that particular case obviously no, but what about ebay? ebay don't sell the items but who is to say if the individuals selling are legit? do we shut down ebay?

This is a very good point. eBay do monitor/police these things though and will take down listings if they breach their rules/are illegal items. That's not to say eBay catch everyone doing naughty stuff, but the fact that they make an effort and have a an active policy to combat wrong doing means it seems fair to me that eBay as a whole shouldn't be taken down. Does megaupload have such a policy? Do they have a track record of removing illegal files and working with the police and the media industry? I don't know. If they have been trying their best then it does seem harsh to bring the site down. If not, then fair enough. What choice do the authorities have?

PPP

Continu0

01-20-2012, 11:27 AM

You want to blame someone, blame the people who committed the crime not the people enforcing it. If people weren't using it for illegal stuff it would still be there.

Well, if you want to blame the people who committed the crime, with shutting down the website you are not punishing the right ones...

Sternjaeger II

01-20-2012, 11:32 AM

I think it's the case they re-assess the concept of intellectual property: I can't download and listen to a song, but I can listen to it for free on an internet radio or via Grooveshark?

They just need to accept the fact that the world has changed dramatically since the 60s, the entertainment industry has become too expensive and not everybody can afford to pay their prices, but still, because of the marketing they generated, people want to use their products nonetheless. Result? If I can't afford it, I'll get it for free, since it's easier that way.

It's their own greediness that is damaging them.. besides I would like to really quantify this "damage", considering that I haven't heard of a high profile music star being broke lately..
How should people feel when they say that Tom Cruise's daughter had, at 4 years old, a $130.000 Xmas list?! I mean, hellooooo?!? Reality check!!!

F**k them I say, I don't need your industry, I know who to rely to if I want good music and good movies.
In the end of the day, it's their fault if blockbusters like Pearl Harbour get so publicised and little masterpieces like Dark Blue World barely make it to the cinema screens.

bongodriver

01-20-2012, 11:32 AM

This is a very good point. eBay do monitor/police these things though and will take down listings if they breach their rules/are illegal items. That's not to say eBay catch everyone doing naughty stuff, but the fact that they make an effort and have a an active policy to combat wrong doing means it seems fair to me that eBay as a whole shouldn't be taken down. Does megaupload have such a policy? Do they have a track record of removing illegal files and working with the police and the media industry? I don't know. If they have been trying their best then it does seem harsh to bring the site down. If not, then fair enough. What choice do the authorities have?

PPP

I'm pretty sure that megaupload (never used it) and other sites like limewire etc all had legal terms and conditons for users to read and aknowlege, how exactly sites are expected to police these things without major intrusions into public privacy and freedom?.........

FFCW_Urizen

01-20-2012, 11:43 AM

They just need to accept the fact that the world has changed dramatically since the 60s, the entertainment industry has become too expensive and not everybody can afford to pay their prices, but still, because of the marketing they generated, people want to use their products nonetheless. Result? If I can't afford it, I'll get it for free, since it's easier that way.

And so what, if i can´t afford it, i don´t buy it. or if i really must have this new piece of "already-old-tomorrow" art, i save up some money and buy it later.
That´s no excuse for piracy.

the only sad thing about shutting down megaup is, that those that used it honestly are now punished because of the many who weren´t.

Wolf_Rider

01-20-2012, 11:50 AM

I'm pretty sure that megaupload (never used it) and other sites like limewire etc all had legal terms and conditons for users to read and aknowlege, how exactly sites are expected to police these things without major intrusions into public privacy and freedom?.........

Its a hard one, eh.... damned, if they do and damned if they don't

it can't very be done to invade privacy in servers or socialise the movie/ record companies, any more than it would be to let capitalism run rampant... people like reward/ notablity for their efforts, so taking an axe to copyright laws wouldn't work too well either.
Running filters in isp's etc would only turn the 'net into the equivalent of a queue in the > insert country here < motor registries.

and yeah... a classic situation of the minority buggering it up for the majority

PeterPanPan

01-20-2012, 11:53 AM

I'm pretty sure that megaupload (never used it) and other sites like limewire etc all had legal terms and conditons for users to read and aknowlege, how exactly sites are expected to police these things without major intrusions into public privacy and freedom?.........

How exactly they do this is down to them. It's their problem and they need to address it if they want to stay in business. I know it's a little different, but YouTube managed to limit the damage by limiting video lengths to 10 minutes. Straight away this reduces the illegal file share problem.

IMHO I can't see what the privacy/freedom issue is. The terms & conditions for megaupload's end users will state what is allowed and what isn't. Then, it surely can't be that hard for megaupload to automatically search their database of files on their servers for key words that might flag an issue. Complex sure, but doable if there is a will. Then, if someone is found to have uploaded something bad, just take it down. If a user repeat offends, ban them from the site. The site survives, good users can stay and illegal file sharing is reduced.

FFCW_Urizen

01-20-2012, 11:58 AM

The problem is, that illegal files have to be reported, before they´re taken off the server. Usually those are files, that are held in high regard by the fellow community.

bongodriver

01-20-2012, 12:02 PM

How exactly they do this is down to them. It's their problem and they need to address it if they want to stay in business. I know it's a little different, but YouTube managed to limit the damage by limiting video lengths to 10 minutes. Straight away this reduces the illegal file share problem.

IMHO I can't see what the privacy/freedom issue is. The terms & conditions for megaupload's end users will state what is allowed and what isn't. Then, it surely can't be that hard for megaupload to automatically search their database of files on their servers for key words that might flag an issue. Complex sure, but doable if there is a will. Then, if someone is found to have uploaded something bad, just take it down. If a user repeat offends, ban them from the site. The site survives, good users can stay and illegal file sharing is reduced.

Whatever way you want to put it, it all boils down to big brother taking away everybody's toys because a few kids are naughty, and the toys we are allowed to keep are the budget lowest cost/functionality versions.

Vengeanze

01-20-2012, 12:12 PM

*sigh* I just wonder when Hollywood, UBI and Sony and the rest will understand that the battle is over.
20% of Sweden's population are incriminated just because they prefer another method of consuming music/film/games than currently available.
More and more are moving into legal options as they pop up.
Digital music surpasses the CD format worldwide.

But like always, if you follow the trail of money you'll find the reasons why the industry are hunting common people down.
In the new arena there's no need for middlemen as the musician sell his music directly to the consumer. Same thing with games and film.
Have you checked vimeo lately? N00bs are making awesome movies with $1K cameras with almost no budget.

My 2 year old son will never have heard of Warner Bros, UBI or Sony Music when he's 18.

The industry is dying but the culture is in international bloom.
Like a cornered beast Hollywood fights for survival. The vultures are awaiting to clean the bones.

We sure live in exciting times.
- "Son, there once was a wall that divided a city, called the Berlin wall"

Vengeanze

01-20-2012, 12:22 PM

The closing of Megaupload won't do nothing except being a nuance to legit downloaders. Piracy has moved to torrents over anonymous VPN services. No realistic chance to pursue em there.

Sternjaeger II

01-20-2012, 12:50 PM

And so what, if i can´t afford it, i don´t buy it. or if i really must have this new piece of "already-old-tomorrow" art, i save up some money and buy it later.
That´s no excuse for piracy.

the only sad thing about shutting down megaup is, that those that used it honestly are now punished because of the many who weren´t.

ah! I wish the world worked on such a simple equation..

You can appreciate that unfortunately that's not the case, and I am sure that when you were a teenager (if you're not now) you made your copy cassettes, cds and what not..

Today it's just easier to share this stuff, but it's not much different than what it used to be 10 years ago. Online sales meant the music industry income skyrocketed like never before, cos now you just need a couple of clicks to buy music online.
Besides, don't be fooled by what they say: artists' incomes are generated more by concerts and other sales, the amount of money they get for the actual record sale is still very marginal. Music artists with real money in the music industry are the ones who became producers (Jay-Z, Pharrell Williams etc..), see what they think and say about online sharing..

Sternjaeger II

01-20-2012, 12:50 PM

as for Megaupload, you really think that most of his traffic was generated by legit material?! Puh-leeeease! :rolleyes:

bongodriver

01-20-2012, 12:53 PM

Go figure, piracy has been around since these industries have, if they were taking so much damage from it then how have they become so immensely rich and powerfull that they can influence the goverment to take these actions?

FFCW_Urizen

01-20-2012, 01:01 PM

You can appreciate that unfortunately that's not the case, and I am sure that when you were a teenager (if you're not now) you made your copy cassettes, cds and what not..

how i wish i still were a teen, sigh. At the time i did it, there were only one platform to share, and that was the Kazaa (which i used, yes) network. There wasn´t any Rapidshare and the likes. Hell, eMule just started and the torrent network was still to come. But i almost always bought the stuff i considered a good investment and i used that exact excuse you mentioned earlier. Hell, i was lucky to have a 100€/200DM at that time, which is nothing right after school.

Besides, don't be fooled by what they say: artists' incomes are generated more by concerts and other sales, the amount of money they get for the actual record sale is still very marginal. Music artists with real money in the music industry are the ones who became producers (Jay-Z, Pharrell Williams etc..), see what they think and say about online sharing..

agreed

pupo162

01-20-2012, 01:13 PM

Do you mean a country where theft is acceptable when you say free? What makes you think you're above the law?

You admit to using if for illegal downloads yet blame "the Americans"

You want to blame someone, blame the people who committed the crime not the people enforcing it. If people weren't using it for illegal stuff it would still be there.

what the hell are you on about !?

ive never said i used it for illegal downlaods. in fact, i said the exact oposite. i use megaupload for legal stuff on daily baisis for the last 2 or 3 years.( lately ive discovered dropbox who actually replaces it for most of my personnal use).

truth is fair and simple, you wont be able to stop piracy, music, film and game industry need to grow up and jump to the 21st century. they just cant expect people to pay 20euros for 1 cd, 70 euros for a game and 40 euro for a blue ray. its just abusive. they are placing a price way to high on culture and people who want to be cult not allways have the stupid ammount of money necessary to fullfill their needs.

Im not much of a downloader myself. i have 0 illegaly downloaded tracks on my pc, 0 illegal games and absolutely no dvds. but i do use alternative methods to lsiten to music ( youtube, not everithing posted there is legal ), or to watch tv series.

truth be told, im preatty sure every single one of my music albuns are from artists that if it wasnt for youtube i would never have bought.

So, NO i want blame the "pirates" for getting megaupload down. And yes i blame "the americans", not the citizens, but the twisted gouvernament who keeps on rulling the world thinking they own everithing.

KG26_Alpha

01-20-2012, 01:21 PM

Sternjaeger II

01-20-2012, 01:37 PM

Well here's one reason its been closed.

"Around thirty cars and motorcycles were seized as well as property and technology on the strength
of a series of emails that appear to show Kim offering cash rewards for uploaders who had provided
specific DVDs and other copyrighted works. One series shows how Kim wanted to copy YouTube ‘one-to-one’."

All over a few e-mails.

.

hehe that's the smoking gun they've been waiting for, they've been looking into locking this guy down for long time.
I have to say it really surprises me how these people really think they can carry on living their lives like "normal" individuals.
It's like the whole story with Wikileaks' Assange and the two Swedish girls: dude, you're not exactly a looker, yet two hot birds want to have group sex with you? Mmhhhh..

Osprey

01-20-2012, 01:53 PM

OK, so I have a very large and successful shop in any city, in any country. I have thousands of customers and turn a nice profit. I sell mainly legitimate stuff, but some of the stuff I know (or ought to know, it's my shop after all) is stolen. Is that ok?

PPP

It would be good if your analogy worked though given that you say 'stolen' and not 'copied'. I'm not going to dwell on the right and wrong of it all but your post pretty much demonstrates just how little you understand the issue.

Do you work for the RIAA or the MPAA?

Osprey

01-20-2012, 02:02 PM

It's like the whole story with Wikileaks' Assange and the two Swedish girls: dude, you're not exactly a looker, yet two hot birds want to have group sex with you? Mmhhhh..

http://www.beersteak.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/carla-bruni-sarkozy-pregnant.jpg

Sternjaeger II

01-20-2012, 02:22 PM

^ROTFL :mrgreen:

Sternjaeger II

01-20-2012, 02:27 PM

It would be good if your analogy worked though given that you say 'stolen' and not 'copied'. I'm not going to dwell on the right and wrong of it all but your post pretty much demonstrates just how little you understand the issue.

Do you work for the RIAA or the MPAA?

yeah, it's a bit of a slippery slope. Some think along the lines of "hey, this is not the original, it's a copy" or "the quality of the file that reproduces the audio track is not exactly as the original", but it's a line of defence that normally works only if you have a lot of money, ordinary people get a "hahaha! Nice try Larry!"..

Then there's the whole thing about intellectual property: it's like the music on Spotify, which is not "all the music in the world" cos certain labels or artists deliberately do not want to be there, so they patch it up with "tribute bands".. how lame is that? And above all, why isn't that infringing intellectual property? Cos I paid a royalty for it?

Good ol' Elvis was right when he used to sing "well it's 1 for the money, 2 for the show".. :cool: