Megaupload Adds Superstar Lawyer to Defense Team
Andrew Schapiro also represents YouTube in battles with Viacom and knew Barack Obama at Harvard Law School.
In advance of a criminal trial, Megaupload has added a legal superstar to its defense. Andrew Schapiro, a partner at Quinn Emanuel, has reportedly agreed to defend Megaupload's executives, including founder Kim Dotcom, on charges of massive copyright infringement and racketeering. Schapiro is best known for crafting YouTube's defense in an ongoing copyright battle with Viacom.
The move was confirmed by one of Megaupload's other U.S.-based attorneys, Ira Rothken, according to CNET.
In adding Schapiro to its defense team, the now-shuttered cyberlocker has gained an attorney who many believe is one of the brightest legal minds of his generation.
Schapiro earned rave reviews last autumn when arguing YouTube's cause before the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals. Although Viacom was successful in getting the appellate circuit to reverse a lower court's summary judgment dismissal, the decision yesterday adopted much of Schapiro's interpretation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, particularly on the issue of what degree of knowledge is necessary for ISPs to qualify for safe harbor from copyright infringement claims. Schapiro made a strong defense that under the DMCA, ISPs needed to be made specifically aware of identified infringements before being compelled to act. The 2nd Circuit largely agreed.
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