Megaupload shut down by the feds (not long after its public fight with Universal began)

Federal prosecutors in Virginia say they have shut down one of the world’s largest Internet file-sharing sites, Megaupload.com, and charged its founder and others with violating piracy laws.

An indictment accuses the company of costing copyright holders more than $500 million in lost revenue from pirated films and other content. -[New York Times]

This strangely/coincidentally/ironically/suspiciously/somethingly comes just one day after more news of Universal being pissed off which was also the same day (yesterday) that the internet protested the related SOPA & PIPA bills (which were somewhat successful in helping that issue).

Megupload is run by, no shit, CEO Swizz Beatz who recently helped create a video promoting the site with testimonials from the likes of Kanye West, Diddy, The Game, Ciara, and Alicia Keys. That video was controversially removed (by Universal) and then put back on YouTube in December (by Google). Universal Music Group and Megaupload are now suing each other, though it looks like that’s the least of Megaupload’s problems at the moment. Universal says the endorsements were “unauthorized“. Watch the video in question below…

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Megaupload Mega Song HD