3 ms·

Can we please not do this? The Megaupload employees were conspiring to commit piracy. These weren't trumped-up charges. They were accused, among other things, o

Can we please not do this? The Megaupload employees were conspiring to commit piracy. These weren't trumped-up charges. They were accused, among other things, of attempting to copy Youtube 1 for 1, and knowingly conspiring with users and sites dedicated primarily to pirated content. It seems a little banal to compare all this to, you know, genocide.

iamandrus 15y ago
>of attempting to copy Youtube 1 for 1 ... since when is this a crime? There are tons of "clones" of YouTube out there.
- cynicalkane 15y ago
  Really? Probably almost every video on Youtube is owned by the video creator. When you upload a video to Youtube, you still own the video and you're granting Youtube a revocable license to use it (see section 6 of the Youtube EULA, https://www.youtube.com/static?gl=US&template=terms https://www.youtube.com/static?gl=US&template=terms). In addition, Youtube enters commercial licensing agreements for much free and paid content. Youtube videos aren't public domain just because they're on the Internet! No, you can't copy and host data you don't have the license to. And recall that these videos belong to little guys as well as big ones.
  - pyre 15y ago
    > Really? I think there is a disconnect here between whether "1-to-1 copy of YouTube" is referring to the content on YouTube or just the general implementation/interface/idea of YouTube.
    - william42 15y ago
      The former is what Megaupload was doing, though. They had software to download YT videos and upload them on Megavideo.
easp 15y ago
Can we please not do this? There hasn't been a trial yet. I doubt you have any inside information on the activities of megaupload. In the US, justice demands a presumption innocence in criminal cases. I was distrustful of Megaupload and its ilk long before the government made these arrests and filed charges, but I will wait until they've actually won their case in a court of law before I'm going to accept those charges as fact. I hope more people will do the same.
- downandout 15y ago
  Hopefully there will not be a trial. In order for a trial to occur, they have to be extradited. Nearly all extradition treaties require that the alleged conduct also constitute a crime under the laws of the jurisdiction that is being asked to extradite them (in this case, New Zeland). Showing that may be difficult to do, and if they cannot do it, they will be set free and cannot be arrested again on the US warrant in New Zeland. These guys have some serious legal firepower. I sincerely hope they are able to defeat the extradition request.

iamandrus 15y ago

>of attempting to copy Youtube 1 for 1 ... since when is this a crime? There are tons of "clones" of YouTube out there.

cynicalkane 15y ago
Really? Probably almost every video on Youtube is owned by the video creator. When you upload a video to Youtube, you still own the video and you're granting Youtube a revocable license to use it (see section 6 of the Youtube EULA, https://www.youtube.com/static?gl=US&template=terms https://www.youtube.com/static?gl=US&template=terms). In addition, Youtube enters commercial licensing agreements for much free and paid content. Youtube videos aren't public domain just because they're on the Internet! No, you can't copy and host data you don't have the license to. And recall that these videos belong to little guys as well as big ones.
- pyre 15y ago
  > Really? I think there is a disconnect here between whether "1-to-1 copy of YouTube" is referring to the content on YouTube or just the general implementation/interface/idea of YouTube.
  - william42 15y ago
    The former is what Megaupload was doing, though. They had software to download YT videos and upload them on Megavideo.

easp 15y ago

Can we please not do this? There hasn't been a trial yet. I doubt you have any inside information on the activities of megaupload. In the US, justice demands a presumption innocence in criminal cases. I was distrustful of Megaupload and its ilk long before the government made these arrests and filed charges, but I will wait until they've actually won their case in a court of law before I'm going to accept those charges as fact. I hope more people will do the same.

downandout 15y ago
Hopefully there will not be a trial. In order for a trial to occur, they have to be extradited. Nearly all extradition treaties require that the alleged conduct also constitute a crime under the laws of the jurisdiction that is being asked to extradite them (in this case, New Zeland). Showing that may be difficult to do, and if they cannot do it, they will be set free and cannot be arrested again on the US warrant in New Zeland. These guys have some serious legal firepower. I sincerely hope they are able to defeat the extradition request.