IMO it's quite clear
This is the RS-way of telling us to
piss off!
Customers are uploder -> i.e. content-owner! who
pay RS
Customers are downloader, who
pay RS
There is a new curreny called Rapids.
Files are stored for 60 days. If there are less than 10GB in an active account, the files are stored forever. You can use a package with a larger limit for storing inactive files.
Every day you can download 1GB or chose another package. You can not anymore sum up unused traffic - it's gone when the day is over.
Now the interesting stuff:
Uploader can verify their acount (RS will not block their files once they prove that they are the content-owner)
With the licence manager you will probably be able to earn Rapids: "give me 100 Rapids and you get a valid personal download-link" -> links somewhat like this dead link
This way RS becomes a file-hoster with it's own payment system. They are not a share-hoster anymore.
RS is now
a legal business.
http://tainment.rapidshare.com/
Example:
Downloader buys Rapids.
Content-owner uploads a movie,
Downloader pays some Rapids for the link of the Movie to owner and some Rapids for RS to use the link.
Everyone is paying
win-win situation for RS.
It's always been an 'excuse' for downloaders, that downloading something 'for free' is easier than getting an account in a every online store and pya some cents for the latest mp3. Now all you need is some Rapids. Some clicks and you can legally download what you bought.
RS is now big friends with the content-owners.
Read the older news in this way:
RS is not responsable for these bad people, who abuse their infrastrucure to upload and share files. RS does not want to encourage these bad people to abuse their service for illegal stuff.
RS changed their mind: everyone who used RS.de/RS.com in the past is now a bad-ass. They will not go back.
Not sure, if MU is the solution: they disallow porn in general (because they have MR.) No need to report a copyright-violation, just tell them it's pr0n.
So which hoster will be the replacement for RS? Is there any real replacement or just many wannabe?
For sure it's no hoster located in the US or EU - they won't be able to fight against the movie-industry
What's left?