Megaupload site wants assets back, to fight charges

[maddezmom]

WASHINGTON | Fri Jan 20, 2012 3:12pm EST

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Internet website Megaupload.com, shut down by U.S. authorities over allegations that it illegally peddled copyrighted material, is trying to recover its servers and get back online, a lawyer for the company said on Friday.

The company and seven of its executives were charged in a 5-count, 72-page indictment unsealed on Thursday accusing them of engaging in a wide-ranging and lucrative scheme to offer material online without compensating the copyright holders.

Authorities in New Zealand arrested four of those charged, including one of its founders, who legally changed his name to Kim Dotcom. Assets were also seized money, servers, domain names and other assets in the United States and several countries.

"The company is looking at its legal options for getting back its servers and its domain and getting its servers back up online," Megaupload's lawyer Ira Rothken told Reuters. "Megaupload will vigorously defend itself."

more:http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/20/us-usa-piracy-idUSTRE80J1TU20120120

[dipsydoodle]

1. They'd be onto a loser if they used the Netherlands

Its only legal there PROVIDED its non profit making. Soon as they made a single buck they'd be out of business and this after all about making money.

[MichaelMcGuire]

2. See what comes of the case

A few make the case of rewarding users etc etc

but as what's I've linked to below;

"Law professor James Grimmelmann of New York Law School tells Ars, "If proven at trial, there's easily enough in the indictment to prove criminal copyright infringement many times over. But much of what the indictment details are legitimate business strategies many websites use to increase their traffic and revenues: offering premium subscriptions, running ads, rewarding active users."

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2012/01/why-the-feds-smashed-megaupload.ars

Its pretty common practice.....

We'll see as more is revealed