Well if you’ve heard the rumours and can’t access Megaupload, there just might be a good reason for that.  It seems the US DOJ and FBI have participated in a joint operation against Megaupload claiming they have US$500 million in unpaid royalties due to Hollywood fat cats.

Well, anon felt this was motive enough to throw a little bit of weight around.  Within hours of Megaupload’s takedown a massive DDOS attack was launched by Anonymous against many targets which included the US Federal Beauru of Investigation, the US Department of Justice and the Motion Picture Association of America – leaving their websites dead for several hours.

Watch the RT report

An anon Twitter @anondaily account boasting success for this attack has uploaded a youtube video, click here to watch.

Is it just me, or doesn’t this whole situation show us clearly – that the protection of IP and copyright on the internet is in great condition without bills such as SOPA & PIPA? (The Stupid Online Piracy Act and the Pathetic Intellectual Property Act)

It seems even Jimmy Wales feels SOPA & PIPA are enough to get heated about.  Several sources (including every English Wikipedia article) have now confirmed Wikipedia will be taking part in the SOPA blackout on Wednesday the 18th of January 2012.

Wales has even gone a step further directly calling for Google, Facebook and Twitter to join the action.  With Wikipedia on board, western news media is finally starting to report on SOPA (even if it is a slightly Disney view point they’re pushing) and public awareness is growing significantly.  It’s feeling more and more like if we stick to our guns SOPA & PIPA might just be stopped!

Jimmy Wales has called for a “public uprising” against the Stop Online Piracy Act (Sopa), which many say will have a “chilling effect on innovation…”

Read More: Wikipedia calls for web blackout & Official blackout notice on Wikipedia

The internet thanks you for your stand Mr. Wales

UPDATE 17/Jan/2012: Wikipedia has now joined the blackout (read more)

Wednesday the 18th of January is sure to be an interesting day for the internet as several big names including Mozilla, Tucows, Reddit, Twitpic, Minecraft, Red 5 & Fail Blog have already put their names down to participate in an internet blackout starting at 8AM.

The blackout will be in protest of two internet-freedom killing bills going through the US senate on the 24th of January, SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (Protect IP Act).  These bills mean big time censorship for the internet if they are passed.  If you live outside the US and think you wont be affected, you may not realise just how many of your favourite sites are hosted within the US (and thus applicable to ridiculous US legislation).

It was Google co-founder Sergey Brin who warned that the Stop Online Piracy Act and the Protect IP Act “would put us on a par with the most oppressive nations in the world.” Craigslist founder Craig Newmark, Twitter co-founders Jack Dorsey and Biz Stone, and LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman argue that the bills give the Feds unacceptable “power to censor the Web.” Read the rest @ CNET

Sites being petitioned to participate in the blackout include Google, Wikipedia and 4chan.  We could bring amazing awareness and show the USA the Internet is an incredible community, and that it won’t be bullied or censored. We are one.

I will be taking my two websites offline and I’ve asked my boss at DPHOTO.com to support the cause and do the same.

If you support the protest and want to protect the internet, free software and everything that has made the internet the thriving place of activity that it is, please put your name down.

More Info @ www.sopastrike.com

As the owner of this and many other websites, I will be making this page a catch all randomly from time to time to help spread awareness for this abhorent injustice that is the “Stop Online Piracy Act”.

THE FOLLOWING MESSAGE WAS WRITTEN BY HOLMES WILSON FROM INFO@FIGHTFORTHEFUTURE.ORG. 

VISIT WWW.FIGHTFORTHEFUTURE.ORG FOR MORE INFORMATION!

On January 24th the Senate will vote on their version of the internet censorship bill SOPA.  This is our best chance to kill the internet censorship bill.

The problem?  We need 41 Senators to agree not to rush a vote, and right now we’ve got 2.  That’s why we’re asking you to take an unusual step: We need you to request an in-person meeting with your Senators.

Can you ask for an in-person meeting with your Senators? Click here to get started.

Most Senators are home right now for the January recess.  And most–even those who’ve signed on as cosponsors–do not understand these bills and the terrible consequences they’ll have for the internet, the economy, and free speech.  If they’re blindsided by the strength and clarity of our objections, we can bring them over to our side.  The future of the internet depends on it.

If you do get a meeting you won’t be alone– post it to the forums and we’ll organize others to join you.  We can also provide materials and help with preparation.  Leading up to the vote we’ll also be swarming townhall meetings and public appearances, as they’re announced.  But right now, we need to set up these in-person meetings.

Please, click here to ask for a meeting.  We’ve got your back.

We’ve taken the time to ask each Senator’s office the best way to request a meeting.  But we need you to take the plunge– it’ll only take a few minutes.

After you set up your meeting, be sure to share information on the forums. Did you get a date and time for a meeting? Did you learn any other information that will be useful for others trying to set up a meeting?  If you can take on an organizing role, say so.

And please, stay active and keep spreading the word about the need to meet your Senator.  There is an absolute firestorm of news and energy around stopping SOPA/PIPA on the internet, but it’s not always visible to Senators and their staff.

Be visible.  Schedule a meeting.  This is our best chance to stop SOPA, and it could be our last.

Thanks for everything you do this month,
–Holmes, Tiffiniy, Donny

P.S. The Reddit community has been an anti-SOPA firestorm.  These meetings are our best hope for beating SOPA, and we think Reddit needs to know about it.  If you agree, help us spread the word on Reddit.

P.P.S. Please use these links to ask your friends to help fill up your local events too.  Everyone needs to know the game plan: schedule meetings, and swarm townhalls.