If Megaupload is guilty, then who among its brethren is innocent?On Thursday, federal authorities shut the Web site of Megaupload, a file-sharing service, and accused its operators of copyright infringement and running a vast “Mega Conspiracy.” They could face 20 years in prison.But Megaupload was not the only such service on the Web. Many companies have crowded into the online storage market recently, most of them aimed at consumers and businesses that want convenient ways to get big data files out of their teeming in-boxes, off their devices and into the cloud — perhaps so that friends or co-workers can download them. They include MediaFire, RapidShare, YouSendIt, Dropbox and Box.net. And there are similar services from Amazon, Google and Microsoft.
www.nytimes.com/2012/01/21/technology/antipiracy-case-sends-shivers-through-some-legitimate-storage-sites.htmlAlso see:Megaupload shutdown raises new Internet-sharing fears
The Justice Department’s shutdown of the popular file-sharing site Megaupload.com reverberated across the Internet on Friday, sparking fresh questions for major Web companies while rattling millions of users of sites like it.Although federal authorities said Megaupload.com was part of an international criminal ring, the practice of providing digital “lockers” so people can store and share their photos, movies, songs and the rest of their digital lives is very common. Sites such as Facebook, Dropbox, YouTube and YouSendIt can be used to swap both legitimate and pirated content.
www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/megaupload-shutdown-raises-new-internet-sharing-fears/2012/01/20/gIQATHRtEQ_story.html