Guns N' Roses - Leaker Guilty Of Copyright Infringement
Original news, posted on 21.10.2008
E! Online is reporting that, the California man charged with illegally leaking tracks of Guns N' Roses' near-mythical "Chinese Democracy", pleaded not guilty today [Monday, October 20] in federal court.
Kevin Cogill, a 27-year-old blogger known as "Skewrl" who uploaded nine tracks from the forever-in-the-works LP on his Antiquiet in June, was busted Aug. 27.
Cogill was charged under a three-year-old federal anti-piracy law that makes it a felony to distribute a copyrighted work on computer networks before its release. He was released on $10,000 bail.
If convicted of the misdemeanor count, Cogill faces a possible five-year prison sentence and a $250,000 fine. However for a jury to find him guilty, prosecutors must prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that Cogill unlawfully disseminated the previously unreleased songs for profit.
Ex-Guns N' Roses and current Velvet Revolver lead guitarist Slash slammed Cogill in a recent interview, telling the Los Angeles Times, "I hope he rots in jail. It's going to affect the sales of the record, and it's not fair. The Internet is what it is, and you have to deal with it accordingly, but I think if someone goes and steals something, it's theft."
Assistant U.S. attorney Craig Missakian, who pursued the case with the FBI and recording industry, said, "In the past, these may have been viewed as victimless crimes. But in reality, there's significant damage."
Cogill posted the songs at a web sitecalled Antiquiet, where they were available for public access. The site crashed from the amount of traffic it received once word of the leaked tracks got out. Cogill took them down again after he was contacted by representatives of Guns N' Roses.
The tracks were allegedly taken from the band's yet-to-be-released "Chinese Democracy" album. Cogill, who used to work in distribution for the group's record label, says he received them from an anonymous source.
After his arrest, Axl Rose and crew issued a statement saying, "Though we don't support this guy's actions at that level, our interest is in the original source. We can't comment publicly at this time as the investigation is ongoing."
Welcome to the legal jungle.
UPDATE
The Los Angeles man accused of uploading nine pre-released Gun N' Roses tracks pleaded guilty Monday [December 15] to one count of misdemeanor criminal copyright infringement.
Kevin Cogill faces a maximum of one year in federal prison, a $100,000 fine and five years probation when sentenced in Los Angeles federal court on March 3. But he faces no jail time in a deal (.pdf) cut with prosecutors, in which the 28-year-old agreed to cooperate with authorities.
"Mr. Cogill is cooperating with the government in our efforts to find the original source of the leak," federal prosecutor Craig Missakian said in a telephone interview.
This summer, Cogill was arrested and charged with uploading to his music site, antiquiet.com, nine tracks of the Chinese Democracy album. The album, which cost millions and took 17 years to complete, was released Nov. 23 and reached No. 3 in the charts.
"I got my hands on pre-release versions of Guns N' Roses songs ? something my audience was heavily anticipating," Cogill, also known as "Skwerl," told U.S. Magistrate Paul Abrams. Asked if he uploaded the material onto his website for financial gain, Cogill said he didn't, "but I understand all the attention helped me."
Cogill had confessed to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which was tipped off to the uploading by an investigator with the Recording Industry Association of America.
E! Online is reporting that, the California man charged with illegally leaking tracks of Guns N' Roses' near-mythical "Chinese Democracy", pleaded not guilty today [Monday, October 20] in federal court.
Kevin Cogill, a 27-year-old blogger known as "Skewrl" who uploaded nine tracks from the forever-in-the-works LP on his Antiquiet in June, was busted Aug. 27.
Cogill was charged under a three-year-old federal anti-piracy law that makes it a felony to distribute a copyrighted work on computer networks before its release. He was released on $10,000 bail.
If convicted of the misdemeanor count, Cogill faces a possible five-year prison sentence and a $250,000 fine. However for a jury to find him guilty, prosecutors must prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that Cogill unlawfully disseminated the previously unreleased songs for profit.
Ex-Guns N' Roses and current Velvet Revolver lead guitarist Slash slammed Cogill in a recent interview, telling the Los Angeles Times, "I hope he rots in jail. It's going to affect the sales of the record, and it's not fair. The Internet is what it is, and you have to deal with it accordingly, but I think if someone goes and steals something, it's theft."
Assistant U.S. attorney Craig Missakian, who pursued the case with the FBI and recording industry, said, "In the past, these may have been viewed as victimless crimes. But in reality, there's significant damage."
Cogill posted the songs at a web sitecalled Antiquiet, where they were available for public access. The site crashed from the amount of traffic it received once word of the leaked tracks got out. Cogill took them down again after he was contacted by representatives of Guns N' Roses.
The tracks were allegedly taken from the band's yet-to-be-released "Chinese Democracy" album. Cogill, who used to work in distribution for the group's record label, says he received them from an anonymous source.
After his arrest, Axl Rose and crew issued a statement saying, "Though we don't support this guy's actions at that level, our interest is in the original source. We can't comment publicly at this time as the investigation is ongoing."
Welcome to the legal jungle.
UPDATE
The Los Angeles man accused of uploading nine pre-released Gun N' Roses tracks pleaded guilty Monday [December 15] to one count of misdemeanor criminal copyright infringement.
Kevin Cogill faces a maximum of one year in federal prison, a $100,000 fine and five years probation when sentenced in Los Angeles federal court on March 3. But he faces no jail time in a deal (.pdf) cut with prosecutors, in which the 28-year-old agreed to cooperate with authorities.
"Mr. Cogill is cooperating with the government in our efforts to find the original source of the leak," federal prosecutor Craig Missakian said in a telephone interview.
This summer, Cogill was arrested and charged with uploading to his music site, antiquiet.com, nine tracks of the Chinese Democracy album. The album, which cost millions and took 17 years to complete, was released Nov. 23 and reached No. 3 in the charts.
"I got my hands on pre-release versions of Guns N' Roses songs ? something my audience was heavily anticipating," Cogill, also known as "Skwerl," told U.S. Magistrate Paul Abrams. Asked if he uploaded the material onto his website for financial gain, Cogill said he didn't, "but I understand all the attention helped me."
Cogill had confessed to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which was tipped off to the uploading by an investigator with the Recording Industry Association of America.
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| Band profile: | Guns N' Roses |
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| Introspekrieg Totemic Lust Elite Posts: 2749  |
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| Derelict Earth Posts: 259 |
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| Doc G. Full Grown Hoser Staff Posts: 9718  |
Lol. He at least deserves to go to jail for being stupid, how did he not see that coming?
---- "I got a lot of really good ideas, problem is, most of them suck." - George Carlin
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| Arian Totalis The Philosopher Posts: 3351  |
Yeah, I agree. I'm against Illegal downloading and so i DO hope some sort of measure is taken, but anything Extreme I think would be going to far. (I.E. giving him a long term prison sentence.) But all the same he should be punished, if not for the reason that he was stupid enough to do that without forseeing the consequences.
---- "For the Coward there is no Life For the hero there is No Death" -Kakita Toshimoko "The Philosopher, you know so much about nothing at all." _Chuck Schuldiner.
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| Murder Posts: 255  |
Written by Introspekrieg on 21.10.2008 at 22:02 really stupid I think ... 
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| METAL! Posts: 63  |
""I hope he rots in jail. It's going to affect the sales of the record" Money hungry bastard.
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| xdissectionx Posts: 29  |
Slash can get over himself.... and prison for this guy is a waste of U.S. taxpayer money. its going to get leaked sooner or later anyway, so who cares.
---- 
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| Slyfang Posts: 409  |
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| Doc G. Full Grown Hoser Staff Posts: 9718 |
Written by METAL! on 21.10.2008 at 23:12 Uh...Slash Isn't even in the band and stands no profit or loss. Secondly, are you aware how much this album has cost to make? At this point its going to need a hell of a lot of sales just to break even, so having this threat is not a good thing. As nice as it is to get everything free. Written by Arian Totalis on 21.10.2008 at 22:40 I'm glad someone here is seeing things realistically. And you stated the exact same thing I did, if hes stupid enough to majorly screw with a band of GnR's size then he should be punished for being a complete moron.
---- "I got a lot of really good ideas, problem is, most of them suck." - George Carlin
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| Bad English Tage Westerlund Posts: 62020  |
 what Slash sad that before I buy GnR CD I wrote all albums in tapes from friends and download Velvet Revolver album, listen it and dealite because it sucks About law its complicated I agree whit it and disagree but uploading such thinks I wont do it never, its like spy some fassion designs too you can be sentenced
---- I stand whit Ukraine and Israel. They have right to defend own citizens. Stormtroopers of Death - "Speak English or Die"  I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck Elite Posts: 40071  |
Written by [user id=16818] on 22.10.2008 at 01:30 Pathetic comment, cannot be taken seriously. Doesn't realize the impact GnR had and how big they were back in the day.
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996 
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| Symmachus Posts: 2002 |
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| iaberis Advice Troll Posts: 1698  |
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| iaberis Advice Troll Posts: 1698 |
Written by [user id=16818] on 22.10.2008 at 01:30 +1
---- Bitch! Please
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| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck Elite Posts: 40071 |
Written by iaberis on 22.10.2008 at 02:33 You actually have Sonic Syndicate and a total joke band (Nanowar of Steel) amongst your favourites. You have no right to speak here at all. At least GnR were a HUGE influence to a lot of bands.
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996
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| iaberis Advice Troll Posts: 1698 |
Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 22.10.2008 at 02:46 GnR is the most overrated band ever, and Nanowar is by far better than em, they even give their stuff for free
---- Bitch! Please
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| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck Elite Posts: 40071 |
Written by iaberis on 22.10.2008 at 02:54 Aha now I see someone who is a freeloader and not willing to support the scene.
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996
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| iaberis Advice Troll Posts: 1698 |
Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 22.10.2008 at 02:57 I support bands I respect, bands like Sonic Syndicate
---- Bitch! Please
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| Marcel Hubregtse Grumpy Old Fuck Elite Posts: 40071 |
Written by iaberis on 22.10.2008 at 03:01 Respect Sonic Syndicate? For what? They are totally image built non-original shit on the side being hyped as fuck. Morons to boost and arrogant shitheads as well. They won a crappy competition which was hosted by a second rate record label (yes they are that label is totally trend following and only picking up on bit RoadRunner discarded at aleast RR has the guts to bring somehting new to the scene) Oh yeah Nanowar more talent than GnR, that's just laugable... Nanowar just COPY Manowar whereas GNR create a lot more original music (and NO I am not a GnR fanboy) and even Manowar's music is so fucking simple it is unbelievable.
---- Member of the true crusade against European Flower Metal Yesterday is dead and gone, tomorrow is out of sight Dawn Crosby (r.i.p.) 05.04.1963 - 15.12.1996
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| Svneatr Vitharr Posts: 118 |
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| Fhuesc Posts: 1328  |
Just ridiculous, exactly what i would expect from the labels. Anyway piracy will always win. Long live piracy.
---- Hasta la victoria, siempre! Until victory, always!
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| Jack the Riffer Posts: 28  |
Written by Fhuesc on 22.10.2008 at 04:01 arr fuck yea matey!
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| fatguymercenary Posts: 13 |
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| METAL! Posts: 63 |
Written by Doc G. on 22.10.2008 at 01:16 I know Slash isn't in the band anymore but he's still a dick for saying that. And who cares how much it cost to make? Look how long GNR made their fans wait to hear it...
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| Doc G. Full Grown Hoser Staff Posts: 9718 |
Written by METAL! on 22.10.2008 at 06:04 Yes, because all music should ALWAYS be about the fans, its never about trying to perfect ones personal vision or anything....
---- "I got a lot of really good ideas, problem is, most of them suck." - George Carlin
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| totaliteraliter Posts: 656  |
I don't understand the "disseminated the previously unreleased songs for profit" part. Didn't the guy post them for free? Written by Doc G. on 22.10.2008 at 01:16 Oh yeah, poor GNR, poor labels, the absolutely obscene amount of money they've spent on this record might not fully pay off. I'd be curious to see if it could be proven if the leak did anything but feed the hype around the album. Written by Marcel Hubregtse on 22.10.2008 at 02:46 Any good ones?
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| METAL! Posts: 63 |
Written by Doc G. on 22.10.2008 at 06:06 So if it took 15 years to perfect... The album better be damn good.
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| Sleep In Sorrow Ghost Of The Sun Posts: 1904  |
That's what you get for still liking and supporting a band that's at least 20 years past their prime. They may have been huge back then, but now they're just a bunch of fat assholes.
---- "It's not funny, my ass is on fire..."
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| FreddeSwede Posts: 126  |
Who listens to the new stuff from Guns´N Roses anyway? It sucks, plain and simple.
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