Megaupload.com, one of the largest file-sharing sites in the world, was shut down on Thursday with its founder and several company executives charged with piracy law violation.

An indictment accuses Megaupload.com of costing copyright holders a giant loss of $US500 million in revenue from pirated films and other content.

The indictment was unsealed one day following the temporary shutting down of well-known websites including craiglist and Wikipedia in protest ay congressional proposals intended to stop online piracy.

Megaupload.com had previously been endorsed by artists such as Alicia Keys,  Kanye West, and Kim Kardashian, among others.