Edible Apple

CNET reports on the latest developments in the fascinating story behind the fall of MegaUpload and its founder Kim DotCom. The U.S Justice Department is currently trying to extradite DotCom and other MegaUpload bigwigs from New Zealand where they were recently arrested amidst a haven of exotic and lavish items.

As part of the indictment, there are passages describing how DotCom and co were interested in copying YouTube’s videos and putting them onto their own site en masse. Below are emails between two of MegaUpload’s managers, Mathias Ortmann and Bram van der Kolk, from April 2006.

“Do we have a server available to continue downloading of the Youtube’s vids?” van der Kolk wrote Ortmann according to the indictment. “Kim just mentioned again that this has really priority.”

“Hope YouTube is not implementing a fraud detection system now…praying,” Ortmann responded. Awhile later, van der Kolk wrote back that he didn’t see how some of YouTube’s unpopular videos could help “jump start” MegaUpload.

“Well we only have 30 percent of their videos yet,” Ortmann wrote. “In my opinion it’s nice to have everything so we can decide and brainstorm later how we’re going to benefit from it.”

Check out more int he full article.