Websites such as Mega Video provide users with television shows and movies free of charge. Mega Video is a user-generated site paid for by advertisers. The website is open to members and non-members. Non-members can view 72 minutes of content at a time with a 50-minute break between views. This is supposed to deter non-members from watching movies on the website; however, there are many ways around this “restriction.” Non-members have to simply let the video load completely and then go offline to watch it without being disrupted. Members have the option of a monthly membership costing $9.99 up to a lifetime membership of $199.99. Being a member allows you unlimited access to loading and downloading content on the website. The user-generated content on Mega Video ranges from home movies to sitcoms to blockbuster movies. There is a fair amount of content that is legally put on Mega Video; however, not all of it is.
Last week I watched two movies that are currently still in theaters on Mega Video, “Slumdog Millionaire” and “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.” I know that it is illegal to watch these movies online; however, if other people are doing it why shouldn’t I? It is my opinion that people who are uploading the content to the site are in the wrong, not me. They are the ones that are infringing on copyright laws by taking this content and uploading it as their own. So if the movies and shows are online anyways, why shouldn’t I enjoy the perks and watch it?
Users provide the content on the site; therefore, Mega Video itself has little responsibility when it comes to the monitoring the website. Users are allowed to put up whatever they want on the website as long as they check the box saying it is not violating any copyright laws. Despite this “warning” Mega Video does little to enforce the removal of such material. Users must “notify [Mega Video] in writing in order for us to identify the allegedly infringing content” before they take action. This is an unnecessary hassle that most are unwilling to deal with unless they have a connection to the content that is being infringed upon.
Mega Video claims they abide by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act as an online service provider. The DMCA “criminalizes production and dissemination of technology, devices, or services intended to circumvent measures (commonly known as Digital Rights Management or DRM) that control access to copyrighted works and it also criminalizes the act of circumventing an access control, whether or not there is actual infringement of copyright itself” (Wikapdia.com). However, since Mega Video is based out of Hong Kong the same rules and scrutiny do not apply. Hong Kong’s infringement laws are far behind that of the United States; therefore, despite Mega Video’s obvious promotion of illegal material they will not face any serious legal problems in the near future.
I have been using Mega Video and other similar websites since I started college in 2005. I would estimate that 30% of the time that I click a link to one of these websites do I come across message saying the video has been removed for copyright infringement. And even if I do come across one of these messages I simply return to the previous screen that links me to the same video posted by a different user. Mega Video may try remove some of the illegal material on the website, but as soon as they do the same content is posted by someone else.
The DMCA needs to join forces with other global agencies in order to combat copyright infringement. If the continue to have separate laws for different countries, there will be no way to truly stop copyright infringement from occurring. If the DMCA stands as a global united force, they could put an end to this illegal activity. Until they do that, there is no end in sight for online copyright infringement.
