[x-pubpol] Feds Shutter Megaupload, Arrest Executives

[Keith Davidson]

Plenty of links at the following newspaper and TV sites

www.nzherald.co.nz/dotcom/search/results.cfm?kw1=dotcom&kw2=&st=gsa

www.tv3.co.nz/Home/SearchResults/tabid/431/Default.aspx?q=dotcom&ie=UTF-8&cof=FORID%3A10&cx=partner-pub-014519039365600221706:mgzvs6kmzcq

Media seem to be concentrating on the oddities of the personalities 
involved and side issues, rather than the issues of law at the centre of 
this case.

Cheers

Keith


On 21/01/2012 11:08 a.m., Joly MacFie wrote:
> Any local commentary from NZ welcome.
>
> (Extracted from another list)
>
>     They were arrested for "Conspiracy to Commit Racketeering",
>     >  "Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering", "Copyright Infringement"
>     >  http://www.scribd.com/doc/78786408/Mega-Indictment
>     >
>     >  Pretty heavy charges.
>     Yes, apparently paying for servers is now money laundering, under the
>     right circumstances.
>     There was a first extradition hearing already
>     http://torrentfreak.com/megaupload-founder-denied-bail-at-extradition-hearing-120120/
>      From that :
>     Police say there are no intentions of trying the defendants under
>     local laws.
>     “This particular type of action around internet copyright infringement
>     is a first in New Zealand in terms of an overseas person being
>     attempted to be extradited to the United States,” said Intellectual
>     Property Lawyer Rick Shera, as quoted by TVNZ.
>     I predict an interesting extradition fight here. I have to wonder how
>     the New Zealand judges will view RICO.
>
>
> On Thu, Jan 19, 2012 at 4:04 PM, Joly MacFie <joly at punkcast.com
> <mailto:joly at punkcast.com>> wrote:
>
>     http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2012/01/megaupload-indicted-shuttered/
>
>     Megaupload, the popular file-sharing site, was shuttered Thursday
>     and its executives indicted by the Justice Department in what the
>     authorities said was “among the largest criminal copyright cases
>     ever brought by the United States.”
>
>     Seven individuals connected to the Hong Kong-based site were
>     indicted
>     <http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2012/January/12-crm-074.html> on a
>     variety of charges, including criminal copyright infringement and
>     conspiracy to commit money laundering. Four of the members of what
>     the authorities called a “racketeering conspiracy” were arrested
>     Thursday in *Aucklund*, New Zealand, the authorities said.
>
>     [3/10 for spelling, wired . J :)]
>
>     One of those arrested was Kim Schmitz, aka Kim Dotcom, Megaupload’s
>     director. His attorney, Ira Rothken of California, said neither he
>     nor his client was given the opportunity to surrender. Kim was
>     arrested without notice, he said.
>
>     “We’re looking into what’s going on,” Rothken said in a telephone
>     interview.
>
>     Vistiors to the Megaupload site, which gets about 50 million hits
>     daily, were greeted with a message from the Justice Department.
>       ”This domain name associated with the website Megaupload.com has
>     been seized pursuant to an order issued by a U.S. District Court.”
>
>     The government said the site facilitated copyright infringement of
>     movies “often before their theatrical release, music, television
>     programs, electronic books, and business and entertainment software
>     on a massive scale.”
>
>     The indictment
>     <http://www.scribd.com/doc/78786408/Mega-Indictment> came as the
>     Justice Department said it seized 18 domains in all connected to
>     Megaupload. The agency said it executed more than 20 search warrants
>     in the United States and eight countries, seizing $50 million in assets.
>
>     --
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>     Joly MacFie 218 565 9365 <tel:218%20565%209365> Skype:punkcast
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> Joly MacFie  218 565 9365 Skype:punkcast
> WWWhatsup NYC - http://wwwhatsup.com
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>   VP (Admin) - ISOC-NY - http://isoc-ny.org
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