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Controversial file hosting website Mega has been hit with at least 150 infringement notices since it was launched more than a week ago, but for now, the website appears to be processing these removal requests admirably.
These 150 notices, covering some 250 requests for removal of potentially copyright infringing files, have all been processed promptly, according to one of Mega's lawyers, Ira P. Rothken. Rothken re-iterated the desire for Mega to stay clean. "Mega doesn't want folks to use its cloud storage services for infringing purposes," Rothken wrote via email.
Under U.S. copyright law's "safe harbor" provision, service providers such as Mega can claim protection from the copyright abuses of its users by having a process that deals with infringement notices and takedown requests. Part of the problem with Megaupload, Mega's predecessor, was that the process was deemed ineffective, with the U.S. government alleging that this was on purposes as part of a criminal conspiracy.
The new Mega would want to avoid the same troubles that led to a multi-national police action against the company and its main actors by making sure takedown requests are processed efficiently.
But just as Mega is distancing themselves from piracy, others are stepping in. A new search engine MEGA-SEARCH has been launched that allows users to search for files uploaded to Mega, something that cannot be done on the Mega website itself. At the time of writing, over 7,000 files can be searched and downloaded, the most popular so far being the soundtrack to the hit movie The Hobbit, and the movie itself - although both files, and many others, appears to have been deleted already. More sites of this nature is expected to be launched in the near future, and Hollywood and the music industry will use these sites as reasons why the new Mega will still a "mega" source of piracy.
These 150 notices, covering some 250 requests for removal of potentially copyright infringing files, have all been processed promptly, according to one of Mega's lawyers, Ira P. Rothken. Rothken re-iterated the desire for Mega to stay clean. "Mega doesn't want folks to use its cloud storage services for infringing purposes," Rothken wrote via email.
Under U.S. copyright law's "safe harbor" provision, service providers such as Mega can claim protection from the copyright abuses of its users by having a process that deals with infringement notices and takedown requests. Part of the problem with Megaupload, Mega's predecessor, was that the process was deemed ineffective, with the U.S. government alleging that this was on purposes as part of a criminal conspiracy.
The new Mega would want to avoid the same troubles that led to a multi-national police action against the company and its main actors by making sure takedown requests are processed efficiently.
But just as Mega is distancing themselves from piracy, others are stepping in. A new search engine MEGA-SEARCH has been launched that allows users to search for files uploaded to Mega, something that cannot be done on the Mega website itself. At the time of writing, over 7,000 files can be searched and downloaded, the most popular so far being the soundtrack to the hit movie The Hobbit, and the movie itself - although both files, and many others, appears to have been deleted already. More sites of this nature is expected to be launched in the near future, and Hollywood and the music industry will use these sites as reasons why the new Mega will still a "mega" source of piracy.