Megaupload Facing $5 Million Copyright Suit

SAN DIEGO — Perfect 10 has waged a $5 million copyright suit against file-sharing membership site Megaupload, as well as sister sites Megarotic,com, Megaporn.com, Megavideo.com and Megaclick.com.

The suit, filed Monday at U.S. District Court in San Diego, said Megaupload has avoided Perfect 10's 22 cease-and-desist letters over copyrighted material and offered complete electronic copies of Perfect 10's magazine.

Further, Perfect 10 said that Megaupload directs download links offering "tens of thousands of Perfect 10 copyrighted images, as well as Perfect 10 videos, to be juxtaposed on Megaupload affiliated websites, next to photographs and likenesses of Perfect 10 models and other models or celebrities."

The suit names Megaupload operator Kim Schmitz, who is described in the filing as a felon who has served time in prison for computer hacking and insider trading. It also names 100 John Doe defendants, which are described as Megaupload's business partners, or affiliates.

"Schmitz formed Megaupload for the specific purpose of engaging in the business of illegally storing, displaying, and distributing the intellectual property of others," the complaint says.

Megaupload and its sister sites have become increasingly popular through the past few years. Megaupload.com, according to the complaint, has become among the hundred most popular websites on the Internet, with a reported 45 million unique visitors per day.

"Because it charges membership fees for immediate access to the copyrighted materials stored on its servers, it is a distributor and seller of pirated materials," the complaint said.

Perfect 10, which owns and operates the Perfect10.com, said in the suit it is not currently earning revenue from that endeavor because of rampant infringement.

Its owner, Norm Zada, did not immediately respond to XBIZ for comment.

The $5 million copyright and trademark suit also alleges unfair competition and seeks a restraining order against Megaupload and its sister sites.

Related:  

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

AEBN Publishes Popular Searches by Country for August, September

AEBN has released the list of popular searches from its straight and gay theaters by country in August and September.

AV in Focus: A Guide to Unlocking Compliance With Clarity

The age verification era isn’t coming — it’s here. Laws are already on the books in numerous U.S. states, as well as in the U.K., France and beyond.

Canadian Privacy Commissioner Endorses National AV Bill

Philippe Dufresne, privacy commissioner of Canada, has voiced support for a bill that would impose fines of up to $500,000 on adult sites that do not implement age verification for Canadian viewers.

Ricky Johnson Launches 'Ricky's Resort' Through YourPaysitePartner

Ricky's Room studio honcho Ricky Johnson has launched his latest site, RickysResort.com, through YourPaysitePartner (YPP).

Industry Attorney Paul Cambria Retires After 50 Years of Practicing Law

After more than a half-century in practice, during which he provided the defense in some of the adult industry's most notable legal cases, attorney Paul Cambria has retired.

2026 XMA Nominations Party Set for Nov. 19 in Hollywood

The 2026 XMA nominations reveal party will take place at Keys on the Sunset Strip on Wednesday, Nov. 19, with red-carpet arrivals starting at 8 p.m.

New VR Membership Site 'DeepInSex.com' Launches

The new 8K VR membership site DeepInSex has officially launched.

NATS Launches Integrated Content Management System

Too Much Media (TMM) has rolled out an integrated, no-charge Content Management System (CMS) to its NATS platform.

AEBN Reveals Avery Lust as Top Trans Star for Q3 of 2025

AEBN has published its top trans stars list for the third quarter of 2025, with Avery Lust landing atop the leaderboard.

FSC: California's Device-Based AV Law Does Not Apply to Adult

The Free Speech Coalition (FSC) put out an advisory today explaining that California's new device-based age verification law does not apply to adult websites.

Show More