FileSonic has disabled file sharing in wake of Megaupload takedown (Sign of things to come?)

[joshcryer]

FileSonic has disabled file sharing in wake of Megaupload takedown
Some filesharing sites are reining in their services in the aftermath of the recent high-profile shutdown of Megaupload. FileSonic has disabled all file sharing functionality on its website, restricting access so that users may only download their own files.

Megaupload was a popular file locker service that allowed users to upload files and share them with other users. The FBI pulled the plug on the Megaupload website last week when seven of the company's top personnel were charged with conspiracy. The 72-page indictment claims that Megaupload willfully distributed pirated movies and other copyright-infringing content.

The law enforcement effort against Megaupload, which was carried out in collaboration with authorities from several countries, has raised questions about whether competing services could face a similar fate. Amid the climate of legal ambiguity, various file locker services have responded in different ways.

RapidShare, which is one of the leading file locker providers, told us last week that they aren't concerned about a raid. According to RapidShare, legitimate hosting providers have nothing to fear—as long as they comply with requests from rights-holders and don't turn a blind eye to piracy conducted with their service.

Interesting times we live in.

[freshwest]

1. I've never used these file sharing sites, but am noticing more blockages. As predicted...

[joshcryer]

6. Blockages? They did this on their own violition.

This is different from Bittorrent where individual users share their own paid for bandwidth. This is a company who makes money from sharing files, a large share of which are very much infringing works.

[msongs]

2. Obama admin does it = bad, and anonymous does it = good. ok nt

[joshcryer]

4. I'm pretty sure they're covering their asses right now.

I don't blame the Obama administration or anonymous. They were one of the largest file sharing companies out there. I think they know that they're not implementing anti-infringement standards stringently enough (I've seen infringing files on there a year or more out) and this at the bare minimum prevents it in the future.

[AtomicKitten]

3. There are plenty of others to take its place.

I think the government is just starting to get a clue about the resistance they face messing with the intertubes.

[joshcryer]

5. Yes, but these are corporations who hide behind corporate personhood...

...to do what grandmothers' grandkids do, share files on the internet. A grandmother gets sued but these corporations hide behind lawyer speak. I think it's fascinating that FileSonic has done this as it indicates that they're in some way worried about the implications (just google "filesonic" "anymovieyouwant" and you will see how massively they allowed infringement).

It does strike me as even more interesting that Google itself is the greatest piracy engine known to humankind, just google anything and you can find it, but they have hired enough lawyers to deal with the blowback from their "merely" being a "search engine."

[AtomicKitten]

7. Same goes for software sharing.

DRM has made software more expensive and limits the ways it can be used legitimately.
It's a lose-lose for all concerned.

[Confusious]

14. Yes that's google's entire purpose

Piracy

Not like it has OTHER purposes.

I suppose you blame the tool when it doesn't work for you.

Maybe we should just shut down the entire computer industry worth 1000x more then old media just to get a couple of pirates.

[joshcryer]

15. That's about 95% what I use it for.

[Confusious]

19. Get some other hobbies

I use it to look up recipes, how to work with wood, how to fix my car, etc, etc, etc.

There's just to many bullshit sites out there. Drives me up a wall.

[MFrohike]

8. Two more

Fileserve has done the same as Filesonic and Uploaded.to is blocking US ips.

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/story/2012-01-23/file-sharing-anti-piracy/52760484/1

[flamingdem]

9. They don't want to suffer the same fate as Mr. Dotcom

the chief of Megaupload..

[joshcryer]

12. I'd bet they were doing similar "faux takedowns" of files, too.

They're definitely scrambling, and getting while the getting's good. We're looking at millions of subscribers at this point. ToS probably says no refunds, so, they're safe.

[joshcryer]

10. Thanks MFrohike, I saw this coming. They know they're participating in illegalities.

And they're afraid to keep at it.

[girl gone mad]

11. Cloud computing may well die.

[joshcryer]

13. I think single click downloaders, anyway, are certainly about to be ended.

Bittorrent revival soon to follow.

[flamingdem]

16. That's what I'm thinking

Torrents. I never really got how to use those.. The seeding thing seems a bit complicated versus click and wait 30 seconds.

[joshcryer]

18. Probably something else, too, something that encrypts traffic somehow.

Freenet was a long time coming but it was infinitely slow. A Freenet-style Bittorrent system would be pretty much un-sue-able. But, you'd be inadvertently sharing pedo material, and it just, gets weird from there.

[flamingdem]

20. I'm wondering if we'll see circles of sharers form

.. and some kind of sharing of buying the item to avoid penalties.

Or at least control over who can see the shared material, but it will be reduced.

On the one hand I will morn the easy access to materials, on the other hand it was truly out of control
and small producers were being hurt.

Now there is a whole generation that is not accustomed to paying for media, they really can't afford it
with the latest downturn, so it's hard to say how this will turn out.

[joshcryer]

22. I think Bittorrent will be the main benefactor, this one click downloading was too good to be true.

Really simple, no big risk of getting in deep trouble, etc. (criminal infringement is via distribution, not via acquisition, it's weird).

[Confusious]

17. Never liked the cloud idea

I don't think There was anything I want to share where a link in an email didn't suffice.

[flamingdem]

21. On sites like Filesonic

you could get any movie or book you ever wanted or any technical tutorial etc.

It was amazing really. In a half an hour you were able to download a few hundred dollars worth of product, easy.