MegaUpload, center of a recent sting operation from the FBI and DoJ, hosted a lot of copyrighted files. People may forget that it was also a legitimate business as well that hosted documents for businesses and personal use.

With the recent shut down of MegaUpload, many users are lost as to whether or not they will be able to recover their files. The Pirate Party has set up a page where users affected by the closure can add their names to an investigation by Pirate Parties International to bring complaints against U.S. authorities.

The FBI has caused incalculable damage, far in excess of the losses claimed by the content lobbies, in a fruitless attempt to prevent access to the media content hosted on Megaupload, some of which they claim to have been infringing copyright under US law. However, as much of the unlawful content will still be available via other services on the web, this action not only shows us the futility of these measures but also serves as a reminder that these files are not necessarily, nor have been shown to be, illegal in any country, including the US.

In contrast, by closing the service they have impeded the access to millions of archives of both private individuals and organisations, potentially causing huge personal, economic and image damages to a vast number of people. In addition, the Pirate Party understands they may have violated Articles 197 and 198 of the Spanish Penal Code by misappropiating personal data.

The widespread damage caused by the sudden closure of Megaupload is unjustified and completely disproportionate to the aim intended. For this reason Pirates of Catalonia, in collaboration with Pirate Parties International and other Pirate Parties [including the Pirate Party of the United Kingdom], have begun investigating these potential breaches of law and will facilitate submission of complaints against the US authorities in as many countries as possible, to ensure a positive and just result.

Those who had legitimate files on the file sharing network can add their name to the list here.