Megaupload

This article is about the FBI-seized website. For the successor of Megaupload, see Mega (service).

Megaupload Ltd
Company typeLimited
Founded21 March 2005 (2005-03-21)
FounderKim Dotcom
Defunct19 January 2012 (2012-01-19)
(6 years, 9 months and 29 days)
FateShut down by the United States Department of Justice
SuccessorMega, Ltd.
Headquarters
Hong Kong
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Finn Batato (CMO)
ServicesOnline file hosting
HK$ 175 million+
Number of employees
155
Websitemegaupload.com (archived)
Footnotes / references
[1][2]
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Megaupload Ltd was a Hong Kong–based online company established in 2005 that operated from 2005 to 2012 providing online services related to file storage and viewing.[1]

On 19 January 2012, the United States Department of Justice seized the domain names and closed down the sites associated with Megaupload after the owners were arrested and indicted for allegedly operating as an organisation dedicated to copyright infringement.[3] Subsequently, HK$330 million (approximately US$42 million) worth of assets were frozen by the Customs and Excise Department of Hong Kong.[4] The company's founder, New Zealand resident Kim Dotcom, has denied any wrongdoing, and the case against Dotcom has been the subject of controversy over its legality.[5] In 2017, a New Zealand judge ruled that Dotcom should be extradited to the United States, but Dotcom remained at liberty in New Zealand pending the results of an appeal.[6] On 5 July 2018, the New Zealand Court of Appeal found Dotcom and three of his former colleagues were eligible to be extradited to the U.S. authorities. His lawyer said they would appeal to the New Zealand Supreme Court.[7] The shutdown of Megaupload led to denial-of-service (DoS) attacks on a range of websites belonging to the U.S. government and copyright organisations by the hacktivist group Anonymous.[8][9]

On 19 January 2013 (2013-01-19), Megaupload was relaunched as Mega under the domain name mega.co.nz (later moved to mega.nz, and then to mega.io). The re-launch date was chosen to coincide with the first anniversary of Megaupload's takedown by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation.[10]

  1. ^ a b "MegaUpload.com Department of Justice indictment". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 15 July 2012. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
  2. ^ Anderson, Nate (17 May 2007). "Google cut off Megaupload's ad money voluntarily back in 2007". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on 8 July 2012. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
  3. ^ "Megaupload.com blocked (shutdown) Anonymous hacked Universal Music and other sites". Pakblog.net. 19 January 2012. Archived from the original on 6 September 2012. Retrieved 19 January 2012.
  4. ^ "HK seizes $330 m in Megaupload raids". RTHK. 21 January 2012. Archived from the original on 23 July 2016.
  5. ^ Masnick, Mike (1 May 2012). "Law Professor: Megaupload Prosecution A 'Depressing Display Of Abuse Of Government Authority'". Techdirt. Retrieved 4 May 2012.
  6. ^ Roy, Eleanor Ainge (20 February 2017). "Kim Dotcom extradition to US can go ahead, New Zealand high court rules". The Guardian.
  7. ^ "Kim Dotcom loses latest appeal to avoid extradition to U.S." Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  8. ^ "Hackers retaliate over Megaupload website shutdown". BBC News. 20 January 2012. Archived from the original on 23 July 2012. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
  9. ^ "SOPA OPERA: The Online War–The Internet reacts not-so-nicely to Megaupload shutdown". WordswithMeaning.org. 5 September 2011. Archived from the original on 28 May 2012. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
  10. ^ Williams, Owen (20 January 2013). "Mega hits 1 million users after one day as Kim Dotcom officially launches the service". TheNextWeb. Retrieved 19 December 2017.