Matrix Posted September 15, 2018 Share Posted September 15, 2018 More than three years after file-hosting service Rapidshare shut down its operations, the site's founder, his wife, and a former lawyer are standing trial in Switzerland. The public prosecutor accuses the three of assisting copyright infringement, demanding fines and damages on behalf of several copyright holders. Founded in 2002, Swiss-based RapidShare was one of the first and most popular one-click file-hosting services on the Internet. Like most sites of this nature, RapidShare was frequently used by people to share copyright-infringing material. It was a relationship that got the company into trouble on multiple occasions. RapidShare fought many legal battles with entertainment companies seeking to hold the company liable for the actions of its users, and to top it off the site was called out by the U.S. Government as a “notorious market.” In response, the company implemented a wide variety of anti-piracy measures. These seemed to work but as a result, RapidShare’s visitor numbers and revenues plunged, eventually costing most of RapidShare’s employees their jobs. Early 2015 the company decided to quit its business. RapidShare shut down, giving users a few weeks notice to secure their files. While the site is little more than a distant memory for many people, it remained in sight of Swiss law enforcement. Following up on several complaints from rightsholders, including several academic publishers, the site’s founder, his wife, and one of RapidShare’s former lawyers went on trial this week. The public prosecutor of the court in Zug, Switzerland, accuses the three executives of “commercial misconduct by multiple offenses against copyright.” The proceedings started on Wednesday and are scheduled to take a total of four days. RapidShare’s founder prefers to remain silent. “I really do not want to make any statements,” the 38-year-old said at the start of the trial, Bote reports. Most of the talking was done by the company’s former lawyer instead. According to the prosecutor, RapidShare’s business prioritized profit over copyright, and the three defendants are accused of assisting copyright infringement. The founder and the two other accomplices were in a position to prevent copyright infringements but failed to do so appropriately, according to the prosecution. As such, they are all liable and subject to high fines. During the hearing, the judge asked how RapidShare’s filtering system worked. The company’s former lawyer explained that, following a takedown notice, files could no longer be reuploaded. When the judge asked whether this would still be the case when the filename changed, the lawyer said no. At that point, RapidShare’s founder broke his silence. He jumped in to clarify that, in addition to the name, the file itself also had to be changed in order to bypass the filter. Whether RapidShare’s executives are eventually held liable or not, the company was certainly profitable. Documents reveal that in 2009 alone, RapidShare’s gross dividend was 47 million Swiss francs, the equivalent of nearly $49 million. With this in mind, the damages amount of 190,000 francs ($197,000) requested by the copyright holders is relatively mild. In addition to the damages, the prosecution also demands several hundreds of thousands of francs in fines. While RapidShare is long gone, the present case could have an effect on other hosting services. As Tarnkappe points out, this includes bannedhost.net, which is also based in Switzerland. This was also confirmed by renowned Swiss IT lawyer Martin Steiger. “Depending on the ruling, service providers’ liability in Switzerland would be strengthened in favor of the providers or the rightsholders,” Steiger told local press. After two days of trial, the case will continue next week. The last hearing day is set for the week after Source Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steven36 Posted September 15, 2018 Share Posted September 15, 2018 Uploaded is already dead anyways, they make it hard to upload too they delete the users accounts every so often so most sites stop using it just like RapidShare’ did before they closed , while it worries me most filehost are in the EU, if things go bad new ones will just spring up outside the EU. Before they was Openload and Streamango from the EU they was Putlocker and Sockshare from somewhere else ..filehost come and go. This is what happens when you follow DMCA , It's proven time and time again they will shut you down sooner or latter and sue you for following the law. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
straycat19 Posted September 15, 2018 Share Posted September 15, 2018 13 hours ago, steven36 said: Uploaded is already dead anyways, Sure could fool me since I get movies, shows, and software from it every day without a problem and have even found movies still on there from years ago when other sites have long ditched them. Guess it is just knowing where to look to get the links. The filesharing sites that are in the crosshairs from what I have been told are those that were developed strictly for the dissemination of illegal content like Icerbox and IsraCloud. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luisam Posted September 15, 2018 Share Posted September 15, 2018 Is there any hoster which ultimately is not used to store and download pirated material? And may I include Dropbox and Google Drive! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soze Posted September 16, 2018 Share Posted September 16, 2018 tyrannical hypocrisy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
halvgris Posted September 16, 2018 Share Posted September 16, 2018 well some uploaders dropped bannedhost.to but lately it's still up for grabs. as a downloader i don't care which service i use, if someone closes i will go to the next one. that was just what happened when rapidshare and megaupload stopped. legally these hosts are just as illegal as your own mail inbox or dropbox. give it 10 - 15 years and a new spotify for movies and tv-series will gain all the traction and benefit more than the production companies. history repeat itself. once again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steven36 Posted September 16, 2018 Share Posted September 16, 2018 22 hours ago, straycat19 said: Sure could fool me since I get movies, shows, and software from it every day without a problem and have even found movies still on there from years ago when other sites have long ditched them. Guess it is just knowing where to look to get the links. The filesharing sites that are in the crosshairs from what I have been told are those that were developed strictly for the dissemination of illegal content like Icerbox and IsraCloud. There's only like one blog i go to that even still post it and they get there account deleted everyday or two and its been like that since 2017 so if any thing is older than a few days old is gone off uploaded . Uploaders lose all there files fooling with them . Uploaded Terminates Accounts of Persistent Pirates https://torrentfreak.com/uploaded-net-terminates-accounts-of-persistent-pirates-170412/ Quote This has already led to legal trouble for Uploaded’s parent company Cyando AG, which is currently involved in a legal battle with copyright holders in Germany. The rightsholders believe that Uploaded is not doing enough to prevent repeat infringements and argue that the company should therefore be held liable for the infringing actions of its users. While Uploaded hasn’t commented on the accusations out of court, recent developments show that something has definitely changed behind the scenes. This week, Uploaded terminated the accounts of a large group of users who presumably used the site to share infringing material. The German news outlet Tarnkappe suggests that this is likely a direct response to the legal proceedings. They in court just like RS was/ is, if anyone reports a file uploaded blocks your account. . Still it dont matter that they follow DMCA the MAFIAA wont leave them alone tell the get them too shut Down like RS is and they will still be sued by some another country. It was Germany who caused RS shutdown and now there sued by Sweden Supreme Court Orders RapidShare to Police the Internet Quote The Supreme Court in Germany has confirmed that RapidShare has an obligation to actively police the Internet to thwart piracy. As a result the Swiss company has become the first cloud hosting provider required by law to monitor external websites for incoming links to infringing files. In addition, users of the file-hosting service now have to face the possibility that sharing files anonymously via the service will be disallowed in future. https://torrentfreak.com/supreme-court-orders-rapidshare-to-police-the-internet-130819/ Rapidshare Terminates Accounts of Copyright Infringers https://torrentfreak.com/rapidshare-terminates-accounts-of-illegal-downloaders-100323/ File-Sharing Icon RapidShare Shuts Down https://torrentfreak.com/file-sharing-icon-rapidshare-shuts-150210/ The one english blog that still post it they only do it too get ad revenue from there site as they also cater to free users . Now theirs a forum i belong too some users still post it as well. They dont delete porn , music and software uploaders accounts very often its people who uploads tv shows and movies they block there accounts so users who do it for a profit from Affiliate programs avoid it like it's the plage This is nothing new blogs stopped using. RS years before it closed down, Sometimes i get lucky and find a a old file uploaded hiding on Go4Up that still work but 99% there links are dead for old stuff. Most file host don't delete old movies but were UL blocks the user account the old movies go too when they block the account . They delete accounts like every 2 days i check for old movie posted on 09/14, 2018 from it's title was from 2014 so anything that older than 2 days is dead on that site at all times. I dont buy UL its just one of the host of many that is supported for the service i pay for if the link works i can download it full speed but unless I'm looking for something that has been posted in the last 2 days it's useless if they delete the account when im looking it want be nothing on in the last hour. Since it's unusable for most stuff i download they may as well shut it down because i download stuff when i fell like it . if a TV show came on 7 years ago and i never seen it before i download all 7 seasons or how ever many they did when i get ready to watch it. When i have access to many other filehost like i do, i'm not even going bother with ul , because most sites post many mirrors only people it bothers are people who upload for money and people who is stupid enough to buy it . I find tv shows and movies even on legit cloud services from the USA sometimes free downloads and you don't need to pay to dl full speed. Guest Free Premium If you dont pay for UL or use a lecher you only get 50KB/s not signed in DL speeds if you register you only get 70 KB/s as free user its to slow to even download as a free user. And if you buy it all files older than 2 days are gone if you know were the few sites are that post it. Man you find some stupid shit to debate over always you run your mouth without knowing the real facts are posing any proof but i know whats going on with filehost ive kept up with it since 2006 , as i use to upload warez and still am a big downloader. . UL is doing there users so much like RS did before it closed it's not funny only a few sites posted RS before it closed because blogs already post free links like ol and cu they dont need ul so if you buy it you are very limited of were and what you can dl. RapidShare were not the ones that started it ether it started in 2011 by RickyFS Fileserve Banning Paying Clients https://filesonicxrapidsharexmegauploadxfileservexwupload.wordpress.com/2011/11/04/fileserve-banning-paying-clients/ Filesonic, Fileserve pull file-sharing services following Megaupload arrests https://www.wired.co.uk/article/filesonic-file-sharing-offline And people are still stupid enough to buy accounts from the rouge sites that are left. Warner Betrays Hotfile, Hotfile Sues for Fraud https://www.publicknowledge.org/news-blog/blogs/warner-betrays-hotfile-hotfile-sues-for-fraud If you follow DMCA you just get closed down and sued anyways, if you dont get out of it before you get in the courts. The guy who started uploaded had a warez forum that only allowed you to post uploaded links and that's how he got rich and he sold the site to Cyando AG when he was sued for Copyright Infringement. He got off with just $188,000 fine no telling much money he has stashed away, he claimed he dont have any money but there are pictures of him that prove otherwise. Former Uploaded Admin Fined $188,000 For Copyright Infringement https://torrentfreak.com/former-uploaded-to-admin-fined-188000-for-copyright-infringement-130227/ You know he has money no telling how much Cyando AG paid him for it. The site is worth 12,493,440.00 today it was worth more back then before google ban it's results. 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