BTJunkie voluntarily shuts down after FBI raid on Megaupload as fear spreads among file-sharing sites
Last updated at 4:11 PM on 7th February 2012
File-sharing website BTJunkie has voluntarily shut down as a result of legal pressures that followed the seizure of Megaupload.
The site, which had over four million active torrents – or files available to download – explained on its homepage that it was 'time to move on'.
Its digital suicide follows the seizure of the Megaupload domain by U.S authorities and the arrest of its founder, Kim Dotcom, along with three of his colleagues, who’ve been charged with racketeering, copyright infringement and money laundering.
Shutdown: BTJunkie has voluntarily closed reportedly over indirect legal pressure from the Megaupload case
Other file-sharing sites have also been spooked by this legal action, with QuickSilverScreen also voluntarily shutting down and Filesonic and Fileserve users now being restricted to downloading files they’ve uploaded themselves.
A message on the BTJunkie website, which linked to copyright-protected films, songs and TV shows for cost-free download, reads: ‘This is the end of the line my friends. The decision does not come easy, but we’ve decided to voluntarily shut down. We’ve been fighting for years for your right to communicate, but it’s time to move on. It’s been an experience of a lifetime, we wish you all the best!’
It’s been reported that the decision to shut down BTJunkie did not come from any direct legal threat, but worry over what might happen in the future, as U.S authorities had it in their crosshairs, according to internet sources.
Mr Dotcom, meanwhile, has been complaining that women inmates are giving him unwanted attention.
In a New Zealand courtroom to appeal a decision denying him bail, Kim Dotcom said he has received unwanted letters from female prisoners and a phone call from a man posing as a prosecutor.
Megaupload: The site has been seized by U.S authorities, a move that's spooking other file-sharing sites
Accused: Kim Dotcom at his bail hearing on January 25. The judge denied him bail, saying Dotcom's vast wealth meant he could flee the country if released from custody
A government lawyer said during the hearing that a known forger tried to visit Dotcom.
The convicted hacker is currently in jail in New Zealand after being accused of masterminding a scheme that made more than $175million in a few short years by copying and distributing music, movies and other copyrighted content without authorisation.
Dotcom was denied bail last month when Prosecutor Anne Toohey argued at the bail hearing that Dotcom, also known as Kim Schmitz, was a flight risk 'at the extreme end of the scale' because it was believed he had access to funds, had multiple identities and had a history of fleeing criminal charges.
In an appeal hearing recently Dotcom told the Auckland court he would not flee New Zealand and wants to fight to get back his money, some of which authorities seized last month.
He told the court that with his assets frozen and business shut down he had no intention of trying to flee to his native Germany, where he would be safe from extradition.
Flying high: Kim Dotcom enjoyed a super-lavish lifestyle before he was taken into custody
'I will not run away. I want to fight these allegations on a level playing field. I have three little children. My wife is pregnant with twins. I just want to be with them,' he said in court.
At his bail hearing last month, his defence lawyer said the former hacker, who is reportedly 6ft 6in tall and weighs more than 20 stone (285lbs), was hardly likely to escape detection by New Zealand immigration.
'He is not the sort of person who will pass unnoticed through our customs and immigration lines and controls,' said lawyer, Paul Davison.
Kim Dotcom - nicknamed 'Dr Evil' - a German national, was renowned for his flamboyant lifestyle.
He owned a £3million collection of 25 cars which was confiscated at the time of his arrest – mainly top-of-the range Mercedes with number plates such as ‘STONED’, ‘HACKER’ and ‘GUILTY’ but also including Maseratis, a vintage pink Cadillac and Dotcom’s runabout, a £300,000 Rolls-Royce Phantom with the number plate ‘GOD’.
Although music stars such as Kanye West and Alicia Keys have supported MegaUpload, film and record companies say the seven-year-old file-sharing site is making a fortune off their work without paying them a penny.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2097738/BTJunkie-voluntarily-shuts-Megaupload-domino-effect-file-sharing-sites-gathers-pace.html#ixzz1m8Qq8e2c
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