The criminal investigation took out the largest file-storage site of its time, and also meant that millions of users lost access<\/a> to their personal files as collateral damage.<\/p>\n One of the affected users is Kyle Goodwin, who operates a sports video company in Ohio. He used Megaupload as part of his business, to safely store large videos he created himself.<\/p>\n Although many assumed that the Megaupload data had been permanently lost, Mr. Goodwin wasn\u2019t ready to throw in the towel that easily. A few months after the raid he asked the court<\/a> to assist him and others to retrieve their personal property.<\/p>\n Unfortunately for him, the District Court has yet to issue an order that allows former users of the site to retrieve their data. Assisted by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), Williams Mullen law firm, and Stanford\u2019s Hoover Institution, many requests were filed but without a satisfying outcome.<\/p>\n Having exhausted nearly every option, Mr. Goodwin\u2019s legal team urged the Appeals Court to intervene last month<\/a>. The Government\u2019s apparent disregard for the rights of former Megaupload users continues to hurt innocent bystanders, they argued.<\/p>\n Mr. Goodwin\u2019s lawyers asked the court to issue a \u2018writ of mandamus\u2018 to the trial court, requesting it to act on their client\u2019s behalf and create a process for Megaupload users to regain access their data.<\/p>\n While the EFF hoped this would break through<\/a> the five-year log-jam, the Appeals Court denied the request late last week.<\/p>\n \u201cAlthough, as Mr. Goodwin points out, his motion for return of property has been pending for a significant period of time without decision, we do not find on this record that the district court has refused to adjudicate the matter,\u201d the order reads (pdf)<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cAccordingly, the petition for writ of mandamus is denied without prejudice,\u201d the Appeals Court added.<\/p>\n The Appeals Court has the power to intervene in cases where a District Court \u201cpersistently and without reason\u201d refuses to make a decision, but found that this is not the case here.<\/p>\n This means that the stalemate continues, even after five years. Mr. Goodwin\u2019s data remains out of reach for the time being, and the same is true for all other users who still hope to be reunited with their files.<\/p>\n His legal team is not giving up though. EFF Senior Staff Attorney Mitch Stoltz informs TorrentFreak that they will continue their efforts to return the data to the rightful owners.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re disappointed that the appeals court refused to step in to get this case moving. Kyle Goodwin and many others have been waiting five years to get their data back, and soon it might be un-recoverable. We will continue asking the district court to act on Mr. Goodwin\u2019s request,\u201d Stoltz says.<\/p>\n Source: \u00a0![\"TorrentFreak\"](\"http:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/torrentfreak.png\")
<\/a> TorrentFreak.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"