In the battle between Hollywood and Silicon Valley over the proposed new stringent anti-piracy laws known as SOPA (the Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (the Proctect Intellectual Property Act), Wednesday's blackout protest that saw several major websites going on strike for a day seemed like a practical but largely symbolic public relations gesture. On Thursday, however, the battle suddenly gained a body count, first with the government's forced shutdown of online storage service (and reputed pirate haven) Megaupload, and then with a retaliatory hack attack against the Justice Department and entertainment lobbyist websites by the hacker collective Anonymous. On Friday morning, in the wake of the turmoil, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid decided to table the vote on PIPA that had been scheduled for next Tuesday, and Rep. Lamar Smith, the sponsor of SOPA, said he'd postpone his efforts to get the House Judiciary Committee to vote on his bill.
Megaupload is one of the most popular Internet services that lets users transfer large documents, music, photos, and movies anonymously. The movie and music industry has accused Megaupload in the past of copyright infringement.
A New York Times report shows Megaupload, run by Kim Schmitz, also know as Kim Dotcom, of causing $500 million in damages to copyright owners and generating more than $175 million in ad revenue and selling premium subscriptions to users.
Authorities arrested Schmitz today at Dotcom Mansion in Auckland, New Zealand this morning. The 37-year-old Schmitz fled to a safe room and police "had to cut their way in," reports show. When police entered the safe room, Schmitz was found with a shotgun at his side.
"It was definitely not as simple as knocking at the front door," detective inspector Grant Wormald told the New York Times.
Reports show officers seized $4.8 million in luxury automobiles, including a Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe and a pink 1959 Cadillac. Myriad artworks and electronics also were taken from the estate.
On Thursday, several Internet sites like Wikipedia, Reddit, and Boing Boing, among others, protested the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect IP Act(PIPA) by enacting "blackouts" that temporarily shut down their services.
Other sites like Firefox and Google showed their support by explaining the ramifications of PIPA and SOPA, but they didn't interrupt service to Internet users.
Megaupload is one of the most popular Internet services that lets users transfer large documents, music, photos, and movies anonymously. The movie and music industry has accused Megaupload in the past of copyright infringement.
A New York Times report shows Megaupload, run by Kim Schmitz, also know as Kim Dotcom, of causing $500 million in damages to copyright owners and generating more than $175 million in ad revenue and selling premium subscriptions to users.
Authorities arrested Schmitz today at Dotcom Mansion in Auckland, New Zealand this morning. The 37-year-old Schmitz fled to a safe room and police "had to cut their way in," reports show. When police entered the safe room, Schmitz was found with a shotgun at his side.
"It was definitely not as simple as knocking at the front door," detective inspector Grant Wormald told the New York Times.
Reports show officers seized $4.8 million in luxury automobiles, including a Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe and a pink 1959 Cadillac. Myriad artworks and electronics also were taken from the estate.
On Thursday, several Internet sites like Wikipedia, Reddit, and Boing Boing, among others, protested the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect IP Act(PIPA) by enacting "blackouts" that temporarily shut down their services.
Other sites like Firefox and Google showed their support by explaining the ramifications of PIPA and SOPA, but they didn't interrupt service to Internet users.
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