The Motion Picture Association of America told a federal court that it opposes any plan allowing MegaUpload to buy back its servers, and that it also opposes allowing former users to access their files if it means that pirated movies would be available again on the filesharing site, reports CNET.
The MPAA explained its uncompromising position in an eight-page response to a motion filed by Carpathia Hosting, which is the company that maintains MegaUpload"s 25,000 former servers. Two weeks ago, Carpathia Hosting said that the maintenance costs of MegaUpload"s servers had exceeded $500,000, and the company wants the court to either help out with mitigating those costs, or allow it to wipe the servers so they can be used elsewhere, presumably for paying customers who are not under federal investigation.
"There may unfortunately be users whose legitimate files are now caught up in the illegal activity of MegaUpload," the MPAA"s motion read. "We are sympathetic to those users, although we do not know how many there actually are as the Goodwin brief only identifies one. However, if the court is willing to consider creating a receiver membership mechanism to allow retrieval of files it is essential that the mechanism include a procedure that ensures that any materials the users download are not files that have been illegally uploaded to their accounts."
MegaUpload"s lawyer Ira Rothken previously said that the company needs access to its servers to defend itself. The MPAA"s efforts to block such an action could therefore impede the defenses of Kim Dotcom and his six colleagues, who are expected to fight extradition attempts by U.S. authorities.