Yesterday US Prosecutor’s Office closed Megaupload – one of the biggest file-sharing sites in the world. The company is charged with violating copyright laws. Seven people have been arrested on charges of piracy and conspiracy. According to the indictment, Megaupload has caused $500 million damage to copyright owners. If the charges are confirmed, the violators may face up to 20 years of prison.
As reported by The New York Times , the 37-year-old founder of Megaupload Kim Dotcom (a.k.a. Kim Schmitz) has dual Finnish and German citizenship; his company is registered in Hong Kong, and he lives in New Zealand. But since servers of his company are in the state of Virginia (US), the case is conducted by prosecutors of this country. They claim that Dotcom earned $42 million last year alone. AP news agency reports, that houses, artwork, luxury cars as well as more than $8 million in cash belonging to Dotcom have been seized in the city ofAuckland,New Zealand.
Megaupload had 150 million registered users, with 50 million hits daily. Interestingly, the site was popular not only among “ordinary” inhabitants of the planet but also celebrities. According to RBC reports, the site was endorsed by many stars of show business including Kim Kardashian.
AramAbrahamyan
