Megaupload Founder Goes From Arrest to Cult Hero • Hacker News Board

Re: Megaupload Founder Goes From Arrest to Cult Hero

#61

Post by J3L2404 » Wed, Jul 04, 2012, 12:18 PM UTC

nmridul wrote: post #55

This is what scared me from the article. “Two helicopters and 76 heavily armed officers to arrest a man alleged of copyright crimes — think about that,” he wrote. “Hollywood is importing their movie scripts into the real world and sends armed forces to protect their outdated business model.” What were they thinking when they sent such a large force ?

>What were they thinking when they sent such a large force ?

Take it up with New Zealand. Though you can hardly blame them as Kim is clearly a nutjob.

Re: Megaupload Founder Goes From Arrest to Cult Hero

#62

Post by cabalamat » Wed, Jul 04, 2012, 4:04 PM UTC

davidw wrote: post #58

cabalamat wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> NZ is being oppressed by the US? Of course it is. What is the Trans-Pacific Partnership if it isn't the latest attempt to bludgeon other countries in toeing the USA's (i.e. the MAFIAA's) line in IP? > Like the whole pirate revolution fantasy, there is no basis in reality. There are currently Pirates elected in 7 countries, which is good going for a movement that's only been in existance for 6 years. Other politicia…

> Savvy creators, Other savvy people realize that the way things are going, making any kind of living at creating information goods is going to be increasingly difficult, so they go do other things. In some cases, that's no great loss, in other cases, we are the poorer for it in terms of never getting to see what they may have created. See: "that which is not seen" ( http://bastiat.org/en/twisatwins.html )

> Other savvy people realize that the way things are going, making any kind of living at creating information goods is going to be increasingly difficult, so they go do other things.

That's true. When goods are both non-rivalrous and non-excludable, they tend to be underproduced in a market economy. One solution would be for the state to produce such goods (e.g. in the UK, the BBC). Another possible solution would be my proposal for a broadband tax -- http://cabalamat.wordpress.com/2009/01/27/a-broadband-tax-fo...

> See: "that which is not seen"

On the subject of things not seen, how much innovation has the current IP regime destroyed? I can think of several websites that ought to exist, but which don't, due to copyright law.

Re: Megaupload Founder Goes From Arrest to Cult Hero

#63

Post by makomk » Thu, Jul 05, 2012, 9:47 AM UTC

ktizo wrote: post #4

Given his past and the megaupload business model, you have to fuck up pretty badly to turn Kim into this much of a hero. If Hollywood had chased a civil case against him, they would have almost certainly won it and shut down his business, which would have then paved the way for them to pursue a criminal investigation (although I am far from convinced that he has done anything explicitly illegal as opposed to merely u…

Well, the FBI hasn't been entirely honest about Megaupload's business model. They claimed that it was based around paying people to upload copyright-infringing model when actually it relyed on reducing the amount they had to pay out by enforcing the clause that allowed them to reject payouts if they suspected copyright infringement.