The fallout from the sudden shutdown of online sharing website Megaupload is continuing to be felt across the internet, with many internet users up in arms about the strong-armed tactic employed by authorities in the United States that included a raid on the CEOs property in New Zealand and manhunt for key executives still missing.
Hacker group Anonymous have already responded by taking down the websites of the FBI, Motion Picture Association Of America (MPAA), Recording Industry Association Of America (RIAA), Universal Music Group and more. But the content industry seems unfazed by the hacker and consumer backlash.
A recent blog post by the RIAA defended their role in the criminal case saying “Megaupload had been one of the most popular and notorious file sharing services in the United States, and used predominantly for trading unauthorized content including music, movies, and other copyrighted works.”
The key word in all of this however is ‘predominantly’, as more and more users come forward claiming that they have been robbed by the FBI of their own intellectual property they were sharing on the service and paying for the privilege.
Pirate Parties around the world are now banding together to launch why they hope will be a string of lawsuits in jurisdictions around the world in an attempt to get the files back and punish United States Government financially for what they call ‘disproportionate’ action.
“The widespread damage caused by the sudden closure of Megaupload is unjustified and completely disproportionate to the aim intended,” they announced in a statement to the media. “For this reason Pirates of Catalonia, in collaboration with Pirate Parties International and other Pirate Parties, have begun investigating these potential breaches of law.”
The group plan on facilitating the submission of complaints by users who were using the service legally and will then use those complains to launch legal action “in as many countries as possible, to ensure a positive and just result.”
“This initiative is a starting point for legitimate internet users to help defend themselves,” they continued. “From the legal abuses promoted by those wishing to aggressively lock away cultural materials for their own financial gain.”
The case against Megaupload is among the largest criminal copyright cases ever brought by the United States according to the Department of Justice in the US. MegaUpload users who want to join in on the action can do so here.
