Mystery and mayhem surrounding MegaUpload (roundup)

Charges of Web piracy are at the center of a legal battle embroiling the hosting site MegaUpload and its founder, the colorful Kim DotCom. Hackers get into the fray, too, early on.

Bail denied again for MegaUpload's Kim DotCom

The founder of the cyberlocker service will remain in jail at least until his extradition hearing is held on Feb. 22.
• MegaUpload founder: Police punched and kicked me
(Posted in Media Maverick by Greg Sandoval)
February 3, 2012 3:22 a.m. PT

Nobody wanted MegaUpload busted more than MPAA

All the recent talk that the FBI cracked down on MegaUpload after being pressured by the music industry is just wrong. Nobody was doing more to prompt the federal government to act in the MegaUpload case than the film sector.
(Posted in Media Maverick by Greg Sandoval)
February 1, 2012 11:02 a.m. PT

MegaUpload ripped off YouTube, tried smearing rivals, U.S. says

In the indictment filed in a New Zealand court earlier this month, the U.S. Justice Department says Kim DotCom oversaw an attempt to copy all of YouTube's videos and tried to inform on rivals.
(Posted in Media Maverick by Greg Sandoval)
January 31, 2012 8:10 a.m. PT

Feds: We obtained MegaUpload conversations with search warrant

How did the feds acquire all those MegaUpload conversations? There are hints that the FBI managed to place government-issued spyware on the defendants' computers.
(Posted in Media Maverick by Greg Sandoval and Declan McCullagh)
January 31, 2012 4:19 a.m. PT

Reprieve: MegaUpload's data safe for two more weeks

MegaUpload's attorney says a deal has been worked out with hosting companies that will give managers time to find a more permanent fix.
• MegaUpload data could be erased Thursday, says report
(Posted in Media Maverick by Greg Sandoval)
January 30, 2012 6:08 p.m. PT

MegaUpload substitutes show spikes in traffic since shutdown

People have flocked to other file-swapping sites since MegaUpload was shut down and became entangled in a criminal copyright case.
(Posted in Digital Media by Dara Kerr)
January 26, 2012 5:28 p.m. PT

Did someone park a tank on Kim DotCom's lawn?

A life-size inflatable tank shows up on the front lawn of the MegaUpload founder's New Zealand home and nearly sparks a media frenzy.
(Posted in Media Maverick by Greg Sandoval)
January 26, 2012 11:21 a.m. PT

Bail denied for MegaUpload's Kim DotCom

The founder of the cyberlocker service must stay in police custody in New Zealand until February 22, when an extradition hearing is expected.
(Posted in Media Maverick by Greg Sandoval)
January 24, 2012 3:25 p.m. PT

Attorney chasing MegaUpload is former piracy fighter

Neil MacBride, the U.S. attorney who indicted MegaUpload founder Kim DotCom, is the former chief of antipiracy at the Business Software Alliance.
(Posted in Media Maverick by Greg Sandoval)
January 23, 2012 10:24 a.m. PT

MegaUpload lawyer: U.S. misunderstands the business

Lawyer for MegaUpload founder Kim DotCom asks New Zealand court to release him on bail, saing he's innocent of piracy and money-laundering charges against him. Lawyers for the U.S. say DotCom is an "extreme" flight risk.
(Posted in Media Maverick by Greg Sandoval)
January 23, 2012 5:45 a.m. PT

FileSonic disables file sharing in wake of MegaUpload arrests

Digital locker's service can now only be used to upload and retrieve files users personally uploaded.
(Posted in Digital Media by Steven Musil)
January 22, 2012 4:55 p.m. PT

Officials seize $42 million in MegaUpload assets

Raids on offices, homes, and hotel suites in Hong Kong yield a large amount of digital evidence and suspected criminal proceeds.
(Posted in Digital Media by Steven Musil)
January 22, 2012 12:32 p.m. PT

MegaUpload assembles worldwide criminal defense

Kim Dotcom will spend the weekend in a New Zealand jail while the U.S. tries to extradite him. His attorney says YouTube was accused of the same copyright violations but nobody raided its offices.
(Posted in Media Maverick by Greg Sandoval)
January 20, 2012 5:13 a.m. PT

What MegaUpload founders stand to lose

Aside from losing control of a massive download empire, there is a huge sum of cash, fleet of exotic vehicles, and many domain names that could become government property if the accused MegaUpload founders are guilty.
(Posted in Digital Media by Christopher MacManus)
January 19, 2012 5:28 p.m. PT

Anonymous goes nuclear; everybody loses?

opinion With #OpMegaUpload, Anonymous launches the equivalent of thermonuclear cyber war. What will be the consequences? Worse, did Anonymous just get played?
(Posted in Molly Rants by Molly Wood)
January 19, 2012 5:40 p.m. PT

What hath #OpMegaUpload wrought?

CNET rounds up the list of targets from today's Anonymous DDoS attacks, including which ones stayed up, went down, or flipped back and forth.
(Posted in Security by CNET News staff)
January 19, 2012 4:20 p.m. PT

DOJ, FBI, entertainment industry sites attacked after piracy arrests

Anti-SOPA activists with Anonymous launch attacks to shut down government and entertainment industry sites after MegaUpload arrests.
(Posted in InSecurity Complex by Elinor Mills)
January 19, 2012 2:20 p.m. PT

FBI charges MegaUpload operators with piracy crimes

Seven people accused of operating the site and committing acts of online piracy were named in an indictment. Four people--including Kim DotCom, aka Kim Schmitz--have been arrested in New Zealand.
(Posted in Media Maverick by Greg Sandoval)
January 19, 2012 11:50 a.m. PT

previous coverage

In SOPA's shadow, MegaUpload strikes back against Universal

The hosting site successfully fights a copyright claim by Universal Music Group over a YouTube video.
(Posted in InSecurity Complex by Elinor Mills)
December 15, 2011 5:31 p.m. PT

Mystery surrounds Universal's takedown of MegaUpload YouTube video

Universal claims it was authorized to order the takedown of a MegaUpload video because of a certain agreement with YouTube and that it wasn't claiming copyright ownership.
(Posted in InSecurity Complex by Elinor Mills)
December 17, 2011 10:26 p.m. PT

MegaUpload settles copyright suit with porn studio

One of the world's largest Internet-file storage services has ended a fight instigated by Perfect 10, a litigious porn studio. But MegaUpload's copyright troubles may not be over.
(Posted in Media Maverick by Greg Sandoval)
November 3, 7:34 p.m. PT

The mystery man behind MegaUpload piracy fight

A 300-pound hacker, street racer, and convicted computer criminal is allegedly menacing filmmakers. The founder of MegaUpload, a service accused in a lawsuit of encouraging illegal file sharing, is a character right out of a studio script.
(Posted in Media Maverick by Greg Sandoval)
August 4, 2011 4:00 a.m. PT