German Kaplun (7)
Alice Wonderland7. 4SHARED – ПИРАТСКИЙ САЙТ №1
У Каплуна и Моргульчика обнаружился еще один бизнес – пиратский сайт www.4shared.com, приносивший им по $4-5 млн дивидендов в год.
www.4shared.com – это файлообменник с пиратским контентом.
По обращениям в Google, этот сайт - №1 в мире по количеству жалоб правообладателей
https://www.google.com/transparencyreport/removals/copyright/domains
Этот сайт еще входит в черный список USTR
https://ustr.gov/sites/default/files/USTR-2015-Out-of-Cycle-Review-Notorious-Markets-Final.pdf
Пользователи (зачастую администраторы сайта), выкладывают пиратский контент. Правообладатель находит и пишет администратору сайта жалобу (и отправляет запрос в Google на удаление ссылки – так формируется DMCA List), администратор 4shared.com удаляет контент – но за те пару дней (!), что контент там пролежал, все кто хотел, уже скачали контент и посмотрели рекламу. Соответственно, рекламодатели знают о том, где крутятся их банеры, но закрывают на это глаза. А контент мгновенно появляется по новым ссылкам.
Многие помнят дело недавно арестованного администратора торрент-трекера Kickass Torrents гражданина Украины Артема Ваулина https://www.wired.com/2016/07/kickasstorrents-piracy-case/
А несколькими годами ранее, арестовали основателя сайта MegaUpload.
https://www.wired.com/2012/01/megaupload-indicted-shuttered/
При выручке в $12-22 млн в год, Kickass Torrents за восемь лет существования нанес правообладателям убытков на $1 млрд.
Вот полный АРХИВ документов: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/uydoyx6l5ybmteh/AACMSpjc743AKkYhKc8FrfKPa?dl=0
Ниже [в квадратных скобках] представлены ссылки на документы в этом АРХИВЕ из которых вы узнаете:
- как граждане Украины Сергей Чудновский и Алексей Луньков основали 4shared.com
- как потом их нашел российский интернет-предприниматель Г. Каплун и купил контроль
- как Г. Каплун купил 4shared.com на деньги РБК, а получилось, что и себе тоже
- как компания 4shared приносила Г. Каплуну и партнерам $4-5 млн в год
- как РБК не получал дивидендов, хотя имел на них полное право http://www.vedomosti.ru/newspaper/articles/2015/03/09/rbk-svyazali-s-piratami
According to whois service, 4shared.com domain registrant is:
Registrant Organization: New IT Solutions Ltd
Registrant Street: Graigmuir Chambers
Registrant City: Tortola
Registrant State/Province: Road Town
Registrant Postal Code: Tortolla
Registrant Country: VG
New IT Solutions Ltd was founded and developed by two Ukrainian programmers - Sergiy Chudnovsky and Olexiy Lunkov. Ownership structure [1]. On of them currently lives in London, another in Ukraine.
At that time it was small a resource. It became big with German Kaplun who joined the resource in 2008. This guy is Russian and used to be internet oligarch of that time founded a new agency RBC.ru which became very popular in 2000-s and gained a lot of money on IPO. Using a net of trustees, Kaplun invested in 4shared and is still a shareholder.
According to the certificate of Incumbency dated as of 5th of September 2012 directors of New IT Solutions Ltd [2] are
- German Kaplun (citizen of Russia and Israel)
- Michael Gour (citizen of Russia and Israel)
- Sergiy Chudnovsky (citizen of Ukraine)
- Olexiy Lunkov (citizen of Ukraine)
- Alexander Morgulchik (citizen of Russia)
- Yuri Mostovoy (citizen of the USA)
According to the certificate of Incumbency dated as of 5th of September 2012 shareholders of New IT Solutions Ltd are:
- Atwood Lake Limited - 25 500 ordinary shares. Atwood Lake belongs to Halverston and Crevet Holdings [4]. Crevet Holdings belongs to RSCtel, Director and owner - Anton Seregin [5], [6] in Kaplun’s interests.
- Menostar Holdings Limited - 14 500 ordinary shares (beneficial owner – Dmitry Kirpichenko [8]).
- LC Media Limited - 10 000 ordinary shares (beneficial Owners Lunkov and Chudnovsky)
In 2008-2011, Canadian/Russian citizen Anton Seregin (passport, etc – [7]) acquired part of New IT Solutions Ltd from Sergiy Chudnovsky and Olexiy Lunkov to Atwood Lake Limited, a company where he was a director – according to the shares purchase agreement [3a], [3b], [3c]). Later, Chudnovsky and Lunkov also sold shares in New IT Solutions Ltd to Menostar Holdings Limited, beneficial owner: Dmitry Kirpichenko [8], citizen of Russia – according to Deed of Trust.
Both Atwood Lake Limited and Menostar Holdings Limited are linked to Russian media businessman and investor German Kaplun.
- Dmitry Kirpichenko was banker in the RBC group during 1990-2010s in Russia – Maxwell bank, Maxwell Asset Management, etc. And may represent interests of German Kaplun.
- Menostar Holdings limited and its subsidiaries also own shares of TMT Investments a company founded and managed by Kaplun, Morgulchik, Mostovoy – and listed on AIM LSE. Maybe there are financial ties (money laundering?) between 4shared and publicly listed TMT Investments.
Key management personnel in New IT Solutions Ltd is also connected to Kaplun. They are Igor Shoifot (citizen of the USA) and Yuri Mostovoy as it is stated in legal counsel engagement letter sent to representatives and signed in the name of the company by Anton Seregin. [9].
- Yuri Mostovoy has been a member of the Board of Directors in RBC and is currently chairman of the Board in TMT Investments Ltd
- Igor Shoifot is a Investments Partner in TMT Investments Ltd
New IT Solutions Ltd has 100% owned subsidiary registered in Cyprus, New IT Ltd. (Cyprus registry) [10].
New It Ltd made payments to several Ukranian IT specialists and to founders of 4shared Lunkov and Chudnovsky. Every IT employee was registered as individual entrepreneur in Ukraine perhaps to avoid paying social taxes New IT ltd would have paid in case of organizing an entity in Ukraine or subcontracting maintenance of the web-site and development of additional functionality to a company.
New IT Solutions Ltd licensed the web-site 4shared.com and documentation to New IT Ltd. – amendments to web license agreement:
- In its turn New IT ltd hired Ukrainian citizen Yakovlev to further develop software necessary for further work of the systems software – according to the Independent consultant agreement with Yakovlev, this agreement states that New IT Ltd. products are 4shared.com, 4shared Desktop and 4Shared Desktop Syncronization.
- Representatives of New IT Ltd., Attorney Andrew Predtechensky [12], [13] and Alexander Pak, signed the agreement. Andrew Predtechensky – leading lawyer who worked in RBC, a company of Kaplun at that times. Alexander Pak – investments director in TMT Investment Ltd.
For example, in 2014 4shared Inc (BVI) received moneys for advertising placements on its site from multiple companies, including Maxiget Ltd, Epom Ltd, IG PUBLICIDADE E CONDTEUDO [11]
For example, 4shared Inc. (BVI) made payments to:
1. Canada and Russia sitizen Anton Seregin for the development of the site
2. Webzilla for providing servers and additional services
3. Ukranian company Sinus Media
4. BVI Company Ultimate stream
5. To Cyprus subsidiary New IT ltd
6. Igor Shoifot also received 13 000 USD from New IT Solutions in 2013. Cash was transferred to his company Igor Shoifot LLC.
P&L (Management accounts) [14].
Bank accounts details for New IT Solutions Ltd - [15]
ВЫВОДЫ:
1. Актив приносил прибыль $4-5 млн.
2. Г. Каплун не платит дивидендов (если это не дивиденды себе)
3. Борец с пиратами сам оказался пиратом