Megaupload, the once proud file sharing service started by Kim “Dotcom” Schmitz has been shut down by US Justice Department / Feds.
Kim and several of his employees have also been arrested by New Zealand authorities while several others have appeared to gone missing. What’s also ironic is it was shutdown a day after the SOPA “Protest Day”. Now before anyone says this is due to SOPA and PIPA it’s one thing to protest our rights and another thing to arbor illegal content such as movies and music in plain sight.
The indictment alleges that the website and a shell company associated with the website, Vestor Limited, caused an estimated half-billion dollars in copyright losses and made an estimated $175 million in proceeds. The website was established in 2005 and at one point ranked as the 13th most visited website on the Internet.
The feds indicted the site’s founder, Kim Dotcom, aka Kim Schmitz, a 37-year-old resident of Hong Kong and New Zealand. He was arrested in New Zealand by New Zealand authorities.
Also indicted were employees Bram van der Kolk, aka Bramos, 29, Julius Bencko, Finn Batato, Sven Echternach, Mathias Ortmann, and Andrus Nomm. New Zealand authorities arrested Batato, Ortmann and van der Kolk. Bencko, Echternach and Nomm remain at large, officials said.
Full story and details can be found here. Oh boy, this can’t end well for the DOJ! I expect “Anonymous” to pay them a visit soon.
