Executives charged as file-sharing site closed

ONE of the world’s largest file-sharing sites was shut down yesterday and its founder and several company executives were charged with violating piracy laws, federal prosecutors said.

An indictment accuses Megaupload.com, which is linked to the husband of music star Alicia Keys, of costing copyright holders over $500 million in lost revenue from pirated films and other content.

The indictment was unsealed one day after websites including Wikipedia and Craigslist shut down in protest at two congressional proposals intended to thwart online piracy.