While this is true, I would also mention that pirating content is strictly illegal in the US and many other countries, and a company like Coinbase could be charged with "harboring pirates" simply by not disclosing information about an investigated person.
If you're meddling in illegal activities, you're exposing yourself to the wrath of the law. I'm not saying that Coinbase didn't go beyond their duty to help, this could have been very much the case, but Coinbase has its own politics to protect.
So if anything, I would say Coinbase is a little questionable in terms of privacy, but their concern is to continue running their business, even if it means helping the government. I'm sure there's some quid pro quo at some level for Coinbase having helped the investigation.
Unfortunately, while Coinbase may have crossed some boundaries with their assistance in the investigation, Coinbase has also opened the door for many more people to have access to BTC in the US, and that's at least a win for cryptocurrency.
Having said that, I am carefully keeping an eye on Coinbase because they are very much tied to banking, which many of us in the cryptocurrency community have quite a bit to say about.
I could point out that KAT did not pirate content, but it means little. The government didn't like them, so eventually they got disappeared in the night. What the law says is entirely irrelevant.
I understand your point and I'm not hating on them. Even though they might leave a sour taste in my mouth at times, I appreciate the important role they have been playing and don't mean to discourage anyone from using them. They do provide a good option for Americans that wish to connect their bitcoin wallet to their bank account.
you re right
@zerohero
I'm hating on them, though. Hating on them hard, because if it weren't for all the people who question copyright for years and years, and implemented solutions like the GPL license, well then almost certainly-- coinbase would not exist, because innovation would not have taken place, because copyrights and patents encourage a stagnant, hierarchical society.