Topic: Nintendo Wises Up

[TJ Spyke]

Of course, though only stuff the legally owned.

[Chozo Ghost]

How were they able to shut the site down when SOPA hasn't even passed yet?

In any case, this is a small sampling of what will occur under the Dystopian future which TJ Spyke is cheerfully ushering in.

[Dasmos]

Of course, though only stuff the legally owned.

lol, like that matters anymore.

[TJ Spyke]

The same way sites like The Pirate Bay and Napster were shut down (though both later came back). The site knowingly hosted illegal content, which is against the law. Apparently there was a 2 year investigation into the site.

Dystopian future? Because I don't support site stealing content that doesn't belong to them and then profiting from it? I think that is why the executives were arrested, because they were providing pirated material and making money from it.

[Dasmos]

Yeah, I don't think MegaUpload is coming back....

[Chozo Ghost]

Apparently there was a 2 year investigation into the site.

So why do we need SOPA then? If Megaupload was a problem, the problem was investigated and dealt with under existing legislation.

The only thing SOPA does is now instead of investigating if piracy is actually being committed the site just gets instantly shut down even if it is completely innocent. I guess waiting for due process isn't good enough for the likes of the RIAA, MPAA, etc. They want instant results, even before guilt has been proven.

[BranDonk Kong]

Napster never came back. The name maybe.

[NWR_insanolord]

You are right, why shouldn't a site be allowed to illegally host thousands of movies and TV shows?

Lots of copyrighted material illegally posted on YouTube as well; do you support the government shutting it down entirely in response to that? There are plenty of legitimate uses for sites like MegaUpload. I've used it in the past to transfer my audio recordings for NWR podcasts so they could be edited. It can be used for illegal purposes, but so can most everything else.

The way the system is supposed to work, as with YouTube, is that when the content owners spot material on there that infringes on copyright, they file a DMCA request and it gets taken down. Just because they're too lazy to follow the rules as they're set up doesn't mean they should be allowed to shut down entire sites they don't like.

[BranDonk Kong]

I say we keep pushing the envelope. Best Buy should be shut down since they sell DVD-R discs, which can be used for piracy - they have no control over what their consumers do with the product that they provide, but hey, tough ****. Wal-Mart should be shut down since they sell wireless routers - which give people access to the internet, which they use to upload and download illegal content - sure, it's not their fault that people "abuse" the products and services provided by them, but again, tough ****.

[UncleBob]

That's a bit of a reach.  Selling DVRs or Routers isn't illegal.

Distributing copyrighted material without permission is.

Megaupload was doing exactly that.  To what extent they knew about it is, of course, debatable.

If I own a hotel and allow a couple of guys to run a meth lab out of one of the rooms, I could find myself in jail.
If I own a hotel and a couple of guys run a meth lab out of one of the rooms and I don't know about it, then I might get a free pass.

How much did Megaupload know about their network traffic and what did they do to prevent THEIR PROPERTY (i.e. servers) from hosting illegal materials?

If I'm delivering a package for someone and it has cocaine or child porn in it, how far is the "Well, I didn't know" defense going to get me?

[Plugabugz]

I say we keep pushing the envelope. Best Buy should be shut down since they sell DVD-R discs, which can be used for piracy - they have no control over what their consumers do with the product that they provide, but hey, tough ****. Wal-Mart should be shut down since they sell wireless routers - which give people access to the internet, which they use to upload and download illegal content - sure, it's not their fault that people "abuse" the products and services provided by them, but again, tough ****.

We should ban cars, for they allow stolen property to be transported.

[BranDonk Kong]

That's a bit of a reach. 

My point exactly. I'm not just referencing Mega Upload though.

[Morari]

Megaupload was doing exactly that.  To what extent they knew about it is, of course, debatable.

Hosting? Sure. Providing? Nope.

It doesn't matter to what extent their knowledge ran. Megaupload allowed anyone to upload anything. It's not Megaupload's job to police what is or isn't uploaded. Of course, the copyright cartel doesn't quite seem to care about that little Safe Harbor clause sitting around on the books.

Megaupload seems like an odd one to go after anyway. I don't know anyone who really used it for much. The file and time limits were pretty discouraging for the typical users, let alone the hardcore pirate. Wouldn't you rather your tax dollars go toward solving actual problems?

Anonymous once again proves themselves to be modern heroes. Injustice must be fought on all fronts. Bringing attention to it is just the first step. I can't wait for them to go after the NDAA next month.

[Chozo Ghost]

I think that is why the executives were arrested, because they were providing pirated material and making money from it.

As opposed to someone who hacked their PSP for purely nonprofit reasons? Does that make it okay? Under SOPA and all those bullshit laws you are a criminal, and you may well find yourself hanging by your own noose. When that happens I hope you will see the irony in it.

[S-U-P-E-R]

I used Megaupload a lot, sometimes even for non-piracy. I'm also rather enjoying the backlash from anonymous. I feel like they're actually representing my interests, as opposed to certain members of congress.

[TJ Spyke]

Anonymous once again proves themselves to be modern heroes.

LOL, this is the funniest thing I have heard all week. Let's all praise criminals!

[Stogi]

Anonymous once again proves themselves to be modern heroes.

LOL, this is the funniest thing I have heard all week. Let's all praise criminals!

Hey...you know who was a criminal? Will Smith in 'The Enemy of the State'; and we all know how that ended up.

[UncleBob]

Megaupload was doing exactly that.  To what extent they knew about it is, of course, debatable.

Hosting? Sure. Providing? Nope.

Distributing?  Yes.

Which is what's illegal.

[S-U-P-E-R]

Despite what Forbes contributor John Gaudiosi and many others said, SOPA was alive all week, even after President Obama came out against it and scores of senators fled in the wake of the internet blackout. That is no longer the case. After massive protests and amidst rapidly declining support, both SOPA and PIPA have been shelved indefinitely.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidthier/2012/01/20/sopa-got-stopped-stop-online-piracy-bill-actually-dead/

So we won? Is anybody else reporting this yet?

[Stogi]

MSNBC

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46072484/ns/technology_and_science-security/#.TxnXfWPC49Y

[S-U-P-E-R]

http://kotaku.com/5877996/esa-drops-sopa-support

LOL, little late there guys. Better late than never, I guess?

[Chozo Ghost]

Its easy to drop support of something which is dead.

[nickmitch]

It's not really dead though. Shelved means they can just come back to it later.
They'll probably revise the language beforehand though, so this is a good victory.

[BranDonk Kong]

If only TJ was there to convince them to stay on board, to tell them how great it was!

[nickmitch]

I don't how anyone running megaupload couldn't how that site was mainly used for piracy. It's hard to turn a blind eye to what the majority of your users do. That'd be like NWR saying, "We didn't know people come on forums and post about Zelda."