<s>
Megaupload	B-Application
Ltd	I-Application
was	O
a	O
Hong	O
Kong-based	O
online	O
company	O
established	O
in	O
2005	O
that	O
operated	O
from	O
2005	O
to	O
2012	O
providing	O
online	B-Application
services	I-Application
related	I-Application
to	I-Application
file	I-Application
storage	I-Application
and	I-Application
viewing	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
19	O
January	O
2012	O
,	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
Department	O
of	O
Justice	O
seized	O
the	O
domain	O
names	O
and	O
closed	O
down	O
the	O
sites	O
associated	O
with	O
Megaupload	B-Application
after	O
the	O
owners	O
were	O
arrested	O
and	O
indicted	O
for	O
allegedly	O
operating	O
as	O
an	O
organization	O
dedicated	O
to	O
copyright	O
infringement	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
shutdown	O
of	O
Megaupload	B-Application
led	O
to	O
denial-of-service	O
(	O
DoS	O
)	O
attacks	O
on	O
a	O
range	O
of	O
websites	O
belonging	O
to	O
the	O
U.S.	O
government	O
and	O
copyright	O
organizations	O
by	O
the	O
hacktivist	O
group	O
Anonymous	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
,	O
Megaupload	B-Application
was	O
re-launched	O
as	O
Mega	O
under	O
the	O
domain	O
name	O
mega.co.nz	O
(	O
later	O
moved	O
to	O
mega.nz,	O
and	O
then	O
to	O
mega.io	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
re-launch	O
date	O
was	O
chosen	O
to	O
coincide	O
with	O
the	O
first	O
anniversary	O
of	O
Megaupload	B-Application
's	O
takedown	O
by	O
the	O
U.S.	O
Federal	O
Bureau	O
of	O
Investigation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
company	O
web	O
services	O
included	O
Megaupload.com,	O
a	O
one-click	O
hosting	O
service	O
;	O
Megapix.com,	O
an	O
image	B-Algorithm
hosting	I-Algorithm
service	I-Algorithm
;	O
Megavideo.com	B-Application
and	O
Megalive.com,	O
video	O
hosting	O
services	O
;	O
and	O
Megabox.com,	O
a	O
music	O
hosting	O
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Website	O
Description	O
of	O
Service	O
Megavideo.com	B-Application
Megavideo.com	B-Application
was	O
an	O
associated	O
,	O
ad-supported	O
video	O
hosting	O
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Megapix.com	O
Launched	O
in	O
late	O
2010	O
,	O
Megapix.com	O
allowed	O
for	O
the	O
uploading	O
of	O
images	O
,	O
competing	O
with	O
other	O
image-hosting	O
services	O
such	O
as	O
Photobucket	B-Algorithm
,	O
ImageShack	O
,	O
TinyPic	O
,	O
Imgur	B-Algorithm
and	O
others	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Megalive.com	O
Megalive.com	O
was	O
a	O
live	O
video-streaming	O
service	O
;	O
it	O
competed	O
with	O
Ustream	B-Application
,	O
Justin.tv	O
and	O
Livestream	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Megaporn.com	O
Megaporn.com	O
was	O
a	O
video	O
streaming	O
host	O
service	O
for	O
uploading	O
pornography	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Sandvine	O
,	O
MegaUpload	B-Application
accounted	O
for	O
1%	O
of	O
total	O
traffic	O
on	O
fixed	O
access	O
networks	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
proceeding	O
before	O
the	O
High	O
Court	O
of	O
New	O
Zealand	O
on	O
2	O
February	O
2012	O
,	O
Kim	O
Dotcom	O
stated	O
that	O
Megaupload	B-Application
was	O
"	O
hosting	O
12	O
billion	O
unique	O
files	O
for	O
over	O
100	O
million	O
users.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Megaupload	B-Application
also	O
released	O
its	O
upload/download	O
manager	O
,	O
Mega	O
Manager	O
,	O
a	O
download	B-Protocol
manager	I-Protocol
that	O
featured	O
a	O
link-checker	O
for	O
Megaupload	B-Application
links	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
options	O
to	O
manage	O
uploaded	O
files	O
,	O
and	O
to	O
access	O
the	O
online	O
control	O
box	O
that	O
was	O
on	O
MegaUpload	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
return	O
,	O
the	O
users	O
running	O
Megakey	O
agreed	O
to	O
supply	O
some	O
personal	O
identification	O
and	O
demographic	O
data	O
and	O
to	O
allow	O
the	O
substitution	O
of	O
ads	O
on	O
third	O
party	O
websites	O
they	O
visited	O
with	O
those	O
of	O
Megaupload	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
FileBox	O
was	O
a	O
Flash	B-Operating_System
applet	I-Operating_System
that	O
could	O
be	O
embedded	O
onto	O
any	O
external	O
webpage	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
allowed	O
users	O
to	O
upload	O
content	O
to	O
Megaupload	B-Application
without	O
having	O
to	O
visit	O
the	O
website	O
itself	O
or	O
download	O
the	O
Mega	O
Manager	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
From	O
2009	O
onward	O
,	O
users	O
with	O
Hong	O
Kong	O
IP	B-Protocol
addresses	I-Protocol
were	O
banned	O
from	O
accessing	O
the	O
site	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
reason	O
for	O
the	O
block	O
was	O
never	O
disclosed	O
by	O
Megaupload	B-Application
,	O
but	O
Hong	O
Kong	O
Customs	O
officials	O
have	O
suggested	O
that	O
the	O
block	O
was	O
an	O
attempt	O
to	O
hinder	O
law	O
enforcement	O
investigation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
23	O
May	O
2010	O
,	O
access	O
to	O
Megaupload	B-Application
was	O
intermittently	O
blocked	O
by	O
the	O
internet	O
authorities	O
in	O
Saudi	O
Arabia	O
by	O
their	O
regulator	O
Communications	O
and	O
Information	O
Technology	O
Commission	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Megavideo	B-Application
was	O
also	O
intermittently	O
blocked	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
Arab	O
Emirates	O
due	O
to	O
pornographic	O
content	O
being	O
accessible	O
through	O
the	O
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
From	O
9	O
June	O
2011	O
onward	O
,	O
the	O
Malaysian	O
government	O
through	O
Malaysian	O
Communications	O
and	O
Multimedia	O
Commission	O
ordered	O
all	O
ISPs	O
in	O
Malaysia	O
to	O
block	O
Megaupload	B-Application
and	O
Megavideo	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
July	O
2011	O
,	O
access	O
to	O
Megaupload	B-Application
and	O
Megavideo	B-Application
were	O
blocked	O
in	O
India	O
for	O
Reliance	O
Entertainment	O
customers	O
,	O
after	O
a	O
court	O
order	O
was	O
obtained	O
,	O
citing	O
illegal	O
copies	O
of	O
the	O
2011	O
film	O
Singham	O
on	O
file	B-Application
hosting	I-Application
sites	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
19	O
January	O
2012	O
,	O
U.S.	O
federal	O
prosecutors	O
in	O
the	O
state	O
of	O
Virginia	B-Application
shut	O
Megaupload	B-Application
down	O
and	O
laid	O
charges	O
against	O
its	O
founder	O
Kim	O
Dotcom	O
and	O
others	O
for	O
allegedly	O
breaching	O
copyright	O
infringement	O
laws	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
a	O
short	O
time	O
after	O
the	O
closure	O
of	O
the	O
site	O
,	O
users	O
could	O
access	O
material	O
via	O
Google	O
's	O
web	B-Protocol
cache	I-Protocol
and	O
The	O
Internet	O
Archive	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
January	O
2011	O
,	O
MarkMonitor	O
published	O
a	O
report	O
entitled	O
"	O
Traffic	O
Report	O
:	O
Online	O
Piracy	O
and	O
Counterfeiting	O
"	O
,	O
which	O
said	O
that	O
Megaupload	B-Application
and	O
Megavideo	B-Application
were	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
RapidShare	O
,	O
the	O
top	O
three	O
websites	O
classified	O
as	O
"	O
digital	O
piracy	O
"	O
,	O
with	O
more	O
than	O
21	O
billion	O
visits	O
per	O
year	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Megaupload	B-Application
responded	O
by	O
stating	O
:	O
"	O
Activity	O
that	O
violates	O
our	O
terms	O
of	O
service	O
or	O
our	O
acceptable	O
use	O
policy	O
is	O
not	O
tolerated	O
,	O
and	O
we	O
go	O
to	O
great	O
lengths	O
to	O
swiftly	O
process	O
legitimate	O
DMCA	O
takedown	O
notices	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Megaupload	B-Application
Toolbar	O
was	O
said	O
to	O
redirect	O
users	O
to	O
a	O
custom	O
error	O
page	O
when	O
a	O
404	B-Protocol
error	I-Protocol
occurred	O
in	O
the	O
user	O
's	O
browser	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
FBM	O
Software	O
said	O
that	O
the	O
Megaupload	B-Application
toolbar	O
is	O
free	O
of	O
spyware	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
a	O
file	O
was	O
uploaded	O
to	O
Megaupload	B-Application
and	O
another	O
file	O
with	O
the	O
same	O
hash	O
was	O
already	O
found	O
to	O
exist	O
,	O
the	O
uploader	O
would	O
be	O
asked	O
if	O
they	O
would	O
like	O
to	O
link	O
to	O
the	O
already	O
existing	O
file	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
9	O
December	O
2011	O
,	O
Megaupload	B-Application
published	O
a	O
music	O
video	O
entitled	O
"	O
The	O
Mega	O
Song	O
"	O
,	O
showing	O
artists	O
including	O
Kanye	O
West	O
,	O
Alicia	O
Keys	O
and	O
will.i.am	O
endorsing	O
the	O
company	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Megaupload	B-Application
said	O
that	O
the	O
video	O
contained	O
no	O
infringing	O
content	O
,	O
commenting	O
:	O
"	O
we	O
have	O
signed	O
agreements	O
with	O
every	O
featured	O
artist	O
for	O
this	O
campaign	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Megaupload	B-Application
requested	O
an	O
apology	O
from	O
UMG	O
,	O
and	O
filed	O
a	O
lawsuit	O
against	O
the	O
company	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
District	O
Court	O
for	O
the	O
Northern	O
District	O
of	O
California	O
,	O
on	O
12	O
December	O
2011	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
19	O
January	O
2012	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
Department	O
of	O
Justice	O
seized	O
and	O
shut	O
down	O
Megaupload.com	B-Application
and	O
commenced	O
criminal	O
cases	O
against	O
its	O
owners	O
and	O
others	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Acting	O
upon	O
a	O
US	O
Federal	O
prosecutor	O
's	O
request	O
,	O
the	O
New	O
Zealand	O
Police	O
arrested	O
Dotcom	O
and	O
three	O
other	O
Megaupload	B-Application
executives	O
in	O
a	O
leased	O
$30	O
million	O
mansion	O
at	O
Coatesville	O
near	O
Auckland	O
on	O
Friday	O
,	O
20	O
January	O
2012	O
(	O
NZDT	O
,	O
UTC+13	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
5	O
March	O
2012	O
,	O
a	O
formal	O
request	O
for	O
the	O
extradition	O
to	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
of	O
Kim	O
Dotcom	O
and	O
three	O
other	O
senior	O
Megaupload	B-Application
staff	O
was	O
filed	O
in	O
a	O
New	O
Zealand	O
court	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
10	O
July	O
2012	O
,	O
a	O
decision	O
on	O
whether	O
Kim	O
Dotcom	O
and	O
other	O
Megaupload	B-Application
employees	O
should	O
be	O
extradited	O
to	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
was	O
delayed	O
until	O
March	O
2013	O
,	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
allow	O
further	O
time	O
for	O
legal	O
arguments	O
to	O
be	O
heard	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
indictment	O
alleged	O
that	O
Megaupload	B-Application
differed	O
from	O
other	O
online	B-Application
file	I-Application
storage	I-Application
businesses	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
indictment	O
provided	O
instances	O
alleged	O
to	O
show	O
criminal	O
behavior	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
indicating	O
design	O
points	O
of	O
Megaupload	B-Application
's	O
operating	O
model	O
as	O
being	O
evidence	O
of	O
criminal	O
intent	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
Legal	O
commentators	O
point	O
out	O
that	O
while	O
the	O
indictment	O
may	O
be	O
correct	O
and	O
Megaupload	B-Application
might	O
have	O
acted	O
as	O
a	O
criminal	O
conspiracy	O
as	O
said	O
,	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
points	O
in	O
the	O
indictment	O
are	O
based	O
upon	O
selective	O
interpretations	O
and	O
legal	O
concepts	O
(	O
described	O
in	O
one	O
article	O
as	O
"	O
novel	O
theories	O
"	O
of	O
the	O
law	O
)	O
and	O
could	O
be	O
challenged	O
in	O
court	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
Los	O
Angeles	O
Times	O
analysis	O
stated	O
that	O
the	O
author	O
was	O
"	O
struck	O
by	O
how	O
far	O
the	O
indictment	O
goes	O
to	O
find	O
something	O
nefarious	O
"	O
;	O
likewise	O
a	O
TechDirt	O
analysis	O
concluded	O
that	O
while	O
the	O
founder	O
of	O
Megaupload	B-Application
had	O
a	O
significant	O
history	O
of	O
"	O
flounting	O
the	O
law	O
"	O
,	O
evidence	O
has	O
potentially	O
been	O
taken	O
out	O
of	O
context	O
or	O
misrepresented	O
and	O
could	O
"	O
come	O
back	O
to	O
haunt	O
other	O
online	O
services	O
who	O
are	O
providing	O
perfectly	O
legitimate	O
services	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
But	O
many	O
legitimate	O
sites	O
such	O
as	O
Imgur	B-Algorithm
remove	O
unused	O
content	O
after	O
a	O
while	O
to	O
free	O
up	O
server	O
space	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Megaupload	B-Application
had	O
indicated	O
willingness	O
to	O
attend	O
court	O
in	O
the	O
U.S.	O
already	O
,	O
and	O
answer	O
civil	O
cases	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Megaupload	B-Application
's	O
case	O
,	O
the	O
indictment	O
alleges	O
DMCA	O
provisions	O
were	O
used	O
for	O
the	O
appearance	O
of	O
legitimacy	O
–	O
the	O
actual	O
material	O
was	O
not	O
removed	O
,	O
only	O
some	O
links	O
to	O
it	O
were	O
,	O
takedowns	O
agreement	O
was	O
approved	O
based	O
on	O
business	O
growth	O
rather	O
than	O
infringement	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
parties	O
themselves	O
openly	O
discussed	O
their	O
infringing	O
activities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
indictment	O
says	O
that	O
Megaupload	B-Application
executives	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
Prosecutors	O
said	O
in	O
the	O
indictment	O
that	O
Megaupload	B-Application
was	O
not	O
DMCA	O
compliant	O
,	O
and	O
cited	O
the	O
example	O
of	O
an	O
alleged	O
infringer	O
on	O
the	O
site	O
known	O
as	O
"	O
VV.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Over	O
six	O
years	O
,	O
VV	O
had	O
allegedly	O
uploaded	O
nearly	O
17,000	O
files	O
to	O
Megavideo.com,	O
resulting	O
in	O
more	O
than	O
334	O
million	O
views	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
television	O
interview	O
with	O
3	O
News	O
,	O
Kim	O
Dotcom	O
said	O
he	O
was	O
not	O
a	O
"	O
piracy	O
king	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
said	O
that	O
Megaupload	B-Application
had	O
applied	O
the	O
provisions	O
of	O
the	O
DMCA	O
and	O
went	O
beyond	O
it	O
,	O
by	O
giving	O
copyright	O
holders	O
direct	O
rights	O
to	O
delete	O
links	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
also	O
said	O
that	O
the	O
indictment	O
relied	O
on	O
a	O
malicious	O
interpretation	O
of	O
technical	O
issues	O
to	O
construe	O
its	O
claim	O
of	O
criminal	O
intent	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
there	O
was	O
significant	O
legal	O
use	O
of	O
Megaupload	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Dotcom	O
initially	O
hired	O
Washington	O
,	O
D.C.	O
attorney	O
Robert	O
Bennett	O
,	O
who	O
had	O
confirmed	O
he	O
was	O
going	O
to	O
represent	O
Megaupload	B-Application
in	O
the	O
copyright	O
infringement	O
case	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
23	O
January	O
,	O
attorney	O
Paul	O
Davison	O
was	O
quoted	O
as	O
representing	O
Megaupload	B-Application
's	O
founder	O
,	O
Kim	O
Dotcom	O
,	O
in	O
New	O
Zealand	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
law	O
firm	O
Quinn	O
Emanuel	O
,	O
retained	O
by	O
Megaupload	B-Application
to	O
argue	O
for	O
the	O
retention	O
of	O
Megaupload	B-Application
's	O
data	O
,	O
said	O
in	O
a	O
motion	O
filed	O
to	O
the	O
court	O
that	O
there	O
was	O
a	O
concerted	O
effort	O
by	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
Department	O
of	O
Justice	O
to	O
deny	O
Megaupload	B-Application
fair	O
legal	O
representation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Given	O
the	O
size	O
of	O
the	O
Megaupload	B-Application
,	O
Quinn	O
Emanuel	O
said	O
this	O
"	O
conflict	O
of	O
interest	O
"	O
argument	O
could	O
be	O
applied	O
to	O
any	O
law	O
firm	O
with	O
experience	O
in	O
intellectual	O
property	O
rights	O
,	O
denying	O
Megaupload	B-Application
experienced	O
representation	O
in	O
a	O
case	O
where	O
both	O
law	O
and	O
technical	O
issues	O
are	O
involved	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Techdirt	O
argued	O
that	O
while	O
the	O
founder	O
of	O
Megaupload	B-Application
had	O
a	O
significant	O
history	O
of	O
"	O
flouting	O
the	O
law	O
"	O
,	O
evidence	O
had	O
potentially	O
been	O
taken	O
out	O
of	O
context	O
or	O
misrepresented	O
and	O
could	O
"	O
come	O
back	O
to	O
haunt	O
other	O
online	O
services	O
who	O
are	O
providing	O
perfectly	O
legitimate	O
services	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Eric	O
Goldman	O
,	O
a	O
professor	O
of	O
law	O
at	O
Santa	O
Clara	O
University	O
,	O
described	O
the	O
Megaupload	B-Application
case	O
as	O
"	O
a	O
depressing	O
display	O
of	O
abuse	O
of	O
government	O
authority	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
pointed	O
out	O
that	O
criminal	O
copyright	O
infringement	O
requires	O
that	O
willful	O
infringement	O
has	O
taken	O
place	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
taking	O
Megaupload	B-Application
offline	O
had	O
produced	O
the	O
"	O
deeply	O
unconstitutional	O
effect	O
"	O
of	O
denying	O
legitimate	O
users	O
access	O
to	O
their	O
data	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
legal	O
commentators	O
have	O
expressed	O
more	O
skepticism	O
toward	O
Megaupload	B-Application
's	O
likelihood	O
of	O
defending	O
against	O
charges	O
of	O
aiding	O
and	O
abetting	O
copyright	O
infringement	O
on	O
"	O
willfulness	O
"	O
grounds	O
if	O
the	O
allegations	O
of	O
fact	O
in	O
the	O
indictment	O
turn	O
out	O
to	O
be	O
true	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
separate	O
development	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
,	O
the	O
defense	O
has	O
challenged	O
the	O
case	O
against	O
Megaupload	B-Application
as	O
a	O
whole	O
,	O
saying	O
the	O
US	O
has	O
no	O
jurisdiction	O
over	O
a	O
foreign	O
company	O
and	O
the	O
seizure	O
of	O
Megaupload	B-Application
's	O
assets	O
was	O
unlawful	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
the	O
seizure	O
of	O
Megaupload	B-Application
,	O
concerns	O
were	O
raised	O
as	O
to	O
what	O
would	O
happen	O
to	O
the	O
files	O
that	O
had	O
been	O
uploaded	O
by	O
its	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
20	O
January	O
2012	O
,	O
the	O
Justice	O
Department	O
stated	O
that	O
"	O
It	O
is	O
important	O
to	O
note	O
that	O
Mega	O
clearly	O
warned	O
users	O
to	O
keep	O
copies	O
of	O
any	O
files	O
they	O
uploaded	O
"	O
adding	O
that	O
"	O
Megaupload.com	B-Application
expressly	O
informed	O
users	O
through	O
its	O
Frequently	O
Asked	O
Questions	O
( 	O
 '	O
FAQs	O
 '	O
)	O
and	O
its	O
Terms	O
of	O
Service	O
that	O
users	O
have	O
no	O
proprietary	O
interest	O
in	O
any	O
of	O
the	O
files	O
on	O
Megaupload	B-Application
's	O
servers	O
,	O
they	O
assume	O
the	O
full	O
risk	O
of	O
complete	O
loss	O
or	O
unavailability	O
of	O
their	O
data	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
Megaupload	B-Application
can	O
terminate	O
site	O
operations	O
without	O
prior	O
notice.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Carpathia	O
Hosting	O
does	O
not	O
have	O
,	O
and	O
has	O
never	O
had	O
,	O
access	O
to	O
the	O
content	O
on	O
MegaUpload	B-Application
servers	O
and	O
has	O
no	O
mechanism	O
for	O
returning	O
any	O
content	O
residing	O
on	O
such	O
servers	O
to	O
MegaUpload	B-Application
's	O
customers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
We	O
would	O
recommend	O
that	O
anyone	O
who	O
believes	O
that	O
they	O
have	O
content	O
on	O
MegaUpload	B-Application
servers	O
contact	O
MegaUpload	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Electronic	O
Frontier	O
Foundation	O
has	O
started	O
a	O
campaign	O
to	O
allow	O
legitimate	O
users	O
of	O
Megaupload	B-Application
in	O
the	O
US	O
access	O
to	O
their	O
data	O
and	O
wants	O
the	O
data	O
preserved	O
for	O
that	O
reason	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
has	O
chosen	O
to	O
represent	O
one	O
such	O
legitimate	O
user	O
in	O
court	O
and	O
thus	O
has	O
sided	O
with	O
Megaupload	B-Application
and	O
Carpathia	O
in	O
asking	O
the	O
court	O
to	O
retain	O
the	O
data	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
26	O
April	O
2012	O
,	O
Megaupload	B-Application
data	O
negotiations	O
began	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
U.S.	O
Department	O
of	O
Justice	O
noted	O
that	O
US$35	O
million	O
had	O
been	O
paid	O
by	O
Megaupload	B-Application
to	O
Carpathia	O
,	O
and	O
alleged	O
that	O
Carpathia	O
had	O
knowingly	O
profited	O
from	O
copyright	O
infringement	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
LeaseWeb	O
wiped	O
all	O
of	O
Megaupload	B-Application
's	O
data	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
the	O
shutdown	O
of	O
the	O
Megaupload	B-Application
website	O
,	O
the	O
website	O
of	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
Department	O
of	O
Justice	O
and	O
other	O
websites	O
were	O
taken	O
offline	O
following	O
concerted	O
denial	O
of	O
service	O
attacks	O
attributed	O
to	O
Anonymous	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Links	O
posted	O
in	O
chatrooms	O
and	O
on	O
Twitter	B-Application
,	O
when	O
clicked	O
on	O
by	O
unsuspecting	O
Internet	O
users	O
,	O
ran	O
a	O
web	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
application	O
known	O
as	O
the	O
Low	B-Language
Orbit	I-Language
Ion	I-Language
Cannon	I-Language
.	O
</s>
<s>
Web	O
organizations	O
have	O
raised	O
concerns	O
about	O
possible	O
effects	O
of	O
the	O
Megaupload	B-Application
case	O
on	O
the	O
future	O
of	O
file	O
sharing	O
,	O
cloud	O
storage	O
,	O
and	O
Internet	O
commerce	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Various	O
commentators	O
including	O
John	O
C	O
.	O
Dvorak	O
,	O
Glenn	O
Greenwald	O
,	O
and	O
Julian	O
Sanchez	O
have	O
written	O
on	O
the	O
topic	O
as	O
well	O
,	O
particularly	O
as	O
it	O
relates	O
US	O
government	O
powers	O
to	O
take	O
down	O
a	O
web	O
site	O
without	O
a	O
trial	O
,	O
even	O
without	O
new	O
laws	O
like	O
SOPA	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
fact	O
,	O
the	O
U.S.	O
Dept	O
of	O
Justice	O
was	O
able	O
to	O
rely	O
on	O
PRO-IP	O
,	O
a	O
law	O
passed	O
back	O
in	O
2008	O
,	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
shut	O
down	O
Megaupload	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
People	O
who	O
used	O
Megaupload	B-Application
for	O
personal	O
and	O
business	O
storage	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
large	O
audio	O
and	O
video	O
files	O
for	O
family	O
and	O
work	O
,	O
have	O
also	O
voiced	O
their	O
complaints	O
about	O
the	O
fact	O
that	O
they	O
no	O
longer	O
had	O
access	O
to	O
their	O
files	O
on	O
the	O
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Examples	O
cited	O
in	O
the	O
media	O
included	O
staff	O
at	O
public	O
interest	O
group	O
Public	O
Knowledge	O
who	O
used	O
it	O
for	O
large	O
files	O
,	O
and	O
Android	B-Application
cellphone	I-Application
software	O
writers	O
who	O
described	O
it	O
as	O
"	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
best	O
ways	O
to	O
distribute	O
 [ software ] 	O
...	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
are	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
similar	O
sites	O
for	O
this	O
use	O
,	O
but	O
Megaupload	B-Application
was	O
always	O
the	O
fastest	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
File	B-Application
hosting	I-Application
websites	I-Application
limited	O
the	O
functionality	O
of	O
their	O
services	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
FileSonic.com,	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
top	O
ten	O
file	B-Application
hosting	I-Application
services	I-Application
,	O
withdrew	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
share	O
links	O
to	O
files	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
file	B-Application
hosting	I-Application
websites	I-Application
followed	O
suit	O
,	O
including	O
FileServe.com,	O
FileJungle.com,	O
Uploadstation.com,	O
x7.to	O
and	O
4shared.com,	O
by	O
shutting	O
down	O
,	O
cancelling	O
affiliate	O
programs	O
or	O
allowing	O
users	O
to	O
only	O
download	O
what	O
they	O
themselves	O
uploaded	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Another	O
large	O
file-sharing	O
website	O
,	O
Uploaded.to,	O
ceased	O
services	O
for	O
users	O
accessing	O
from	O
United	O
States-based	O
IP	B-Protocol
addresses	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
MediaFire	O
CEO	O
Derek	O
Labian	O
,	O
he	O
and	O
his	O
file	B-Application
hosting	I-Application
company	O
are	O
not	O
concerned	O
by	O
the	O
Megaupload	B-Application
incident	O
because	O
"	O
Megaupload	B-Application
was	O
making	O
a	O
ridiculous	O
amount	O
of	O
money	O
with	O
a	O
ridiculously	O
bad	O
service	O
...	O
We	O
do	O
n't	O
have	O
a	O
business	O
built	O
on	O
copyright	O
infringement.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
spokesperson	O
for	O
RapidShare	O
similarly	O
expressed	O
a	O
lack	O
of	O
concern	O
,	O
saying	O
that	O
"	O
file	B-Application
hosting	I-Application
itself	O
is	O
a	O
legitimate	O
business	O
"	O
,	O
pointing	O
out	O
that	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
SkyDrive	B-Application
operates	O
on	O
a	O
similar	O
basis	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
file	B-Application
hosting	I-Application
site	O
Turbobit.net	O
blocked	O
access	O
to	O
U.S.	O
visitors	O
,	O
and	O
QuickSilverScreen	O
,	O
a	O
site	O
offering	O
streaming	O
video	O
links	O
,	O
closed	O
on	O
7	O
February	O
2012	O
.	O
</s>
