Blogger arrested, accused of posting 9 unreleased Guns N' Roses songs

[Smoking Guns]

Who cares at this point?  Why wasn't he arrested 2 months ago?  There have been 2 songs leaks and several versions of many of them and they all didn't come from this guy. 

He would be an easy target....considering he didn't just leak them, he actually procured them (as in "patient zero", I think) and posted/hosted them on his personal web space.

All pretty easy to track and "prove", probably.

I meant to say 12 songs were leaked.  Anyway, I think what he did WAS wrong, but the time to arrest him was a couple months back. 

[jarmo]

I meant to say 12 songs were leaked.  Anyway, I think what he did WAS wrong, but the time to arrest him was a couple months back. 

You do understand that it's not always that easy?

So keeping him in jail since June would've been a better option? 





/jarmo

[Smoking Guns]

Did he profit off GNR?  No.  Did GNR lose money because of him?  No.  Did GNR get free pub because of him?  Yes.  They way I see it, the record company owes this guy money for marketing.  Seriously who cares, his leaks won't do anything but help album sales.

So if I steal your car, and make no profit, it's ok?

If I put a banner on the car saying "Smoking Guns rules!", you basically owe me!


 



I bet his blog got a lot more attention due to him stealing GN'R's music.






/jarmo

Not saying its right.  Just saying I think he brought "Positive" attention to GNR.  Lets see, what was better for GNR... The Riot in Philly, or the Leaks...  I say the leaks.  2 wrongs don't make a right.  The guy was wrong, I just hope he doesn't spend a lot of time in jail.  

[LordRazZ]

I think this is a sticky situation for any of us to discuss.

The fact is, what he did, and what many of us have done in the past, is illegal.

I'm guessing the difference is that this time around, someone swiped the files directly from the company, and not Axl himself.

Seems to me that Axl was much more forgiving to all of us before.

I think we all tend to forget that we aren't the only ones with interest in the album coming out. Myself included, we GnR fans can be a little self serving at times, wouldn't you agree.

I think it's time for all of us to just wait for the album.

[Smoking Guns]

I meant to say 12 songs were leaked.  Anyway, I think what he did WAS wrong, but the time to arrest him was a couple months back. 

You do understand that it's not always that easy?

So keeping him in jail since June would've been a better option? 





/jarmo

Jarmo, you are confused, I agree what he did was bad, but just seems like weird timing.  Also I thought these were all "demo" according to some and not "finished" tracks.

[DarkFairy]

I personally hope there's no more leaks, I don't wanna start listening to the album and realize I've already heard it (yes, I'm weak, I heard the leaks  )

Maybe this turn of events will make leakers think twice before going ahead with it

[pilferk]

I meant to say 12 songs were leaked.  Anyway, I think what he did WAS wrong, but the time to arrest him was a couple months back. 

I know what you meant.  Typo's..get you every time!

Federal Investigations often take time.

If you remember, back in his blog, he reported the FBI contacted him pretty quickly after he leaked the material.  It just takes awhile to go through the process of the investigation, and then get an indictment. 

I'm not saying the process shouldn't be quicker....just that it doesn't seem to be out of the ordinary for a case, especially one as relatively "low profile" as this one would be.

[jarmo]

The guy was wrong, I just hope he doesn't spend a lot of time in jail.  

He broke the law!

Under the Family Entertainment and Copyright Act of 2005, Cogill could face penalties of up to three years in prison and fines of up to $250,000, in addition to civil penalties sought by copyright holders.

It's not like he stole a Twix!

Jarmo, you are confused, I agree what he did was bad, but just seems like weird timing.  Also I thought these were all "demo" according to some and not "finished" tracks.

No, you're the confused one.

I watch enough TV to know that arrests aren't always made on the day of the crime....

It might take time to put the pieces together and have a case.


So what if they're demos?

If you have an album being prepared for release, you don't want some unfinished tracks being played on the radio and people judging the record based on them.





/jarmo

[Atillla]

Nice corny comebacks jarmo, but they don't cut any wood. Metal Sludge did the exact same as Kevin, yet they go after this guy, not the company which hosted them on their internationally known site. .... so in fact, they had even more audience than Kevin.

This is very bad publicity for GnR, and anyone who can't see that must be living under a rock. All the artists who did these kind if things always came out worse, no exceptions. You can't win from teh internetz, no matter who you are and how many Mulders you send.

Arresting guys for sharing low quality demos of unfinished songs...yeah. I lost all respect for GnR today. I won't buy the album too like many now are saying everywhere.

[Oasis1]

Am I the only one who still has no idea how these people get these leaked tracks (assuming it doesn't come from the inside)? Is it some janitor who happens to see a master tape just sitting there and decides to grab it? WTF? Even after the initial leaks, wouldn't security be stepped up somehow??? Of course there is going to be a paper trail leading all the way back, but how can somebody get so close that they are able to get this stuff with anybody noticing (until it get's leaked)?

[jarmo]

Arresting guys for sharing low quality demos of unfinished songs...yeah. I lost all respect for GnR today. I won't buy the album too like many now are saying everywhere.

Well fuck you then!


We don't want your kind here.



The so called fans who are blaming this on GN'R are fucking amusing.

Like they need a reason for posting shit like that.

Without this news, they would've blamed something else for not buying it.






/jarmo

[CAFC Nick]

It still doesn't make it legal to steal music and put it on your web site.


As I said, the record company doesn't like it when you steal their property.





/jarmo

Without being rude, don't you have loads of songs from the New-GNR?

[pilferk]

Not saying its right.  Just saying I think he brought "Positive" attention to GNR.  Lets see, what was better for GNR... The Riot in Philly, or the Leaks...  I say the leaks.  2 wrongs don't make a right.  The guy was wrong, I just hope he doesn't spend a lot of time in jail. 

He'll be processed and likely released.  Bail would probably be some token amount, if anything unless the guy is some sort of flight risk and we don't know it.

Then, one of two things will happen, IMHO:

He'll get a pro-bono lawyer who likes this type of case, through the ACLU or something, and the case will drag on for awhile.  This is a CRIMINAL case, it seems....not a civil one (that, I assume, comes later), seemingly.  Ultimately, they'll likely either come to some sort of plea bargain that keeps him out of jail, but has him paying a decent sum of money OR it will go all the way through trial, and he'll get some sort of suspended sentence and hefty fine.  I would be very, very surprised if he actually did time in a federal prison.  It's always possible.....there could be more to the story and things like conspiracy could crop up...but by all accounts he's been completely cooperative with the investigation, which will count for something.

And no, I'm no legal expert......

[jarmo]

Without being rude, don't you have loads of songs from the New-GNR?

No?



/jarmo

[Smoking Guns]

The guy was wrong, I just hope he doesn't spend a lot of time in jail.  

He broke the law!

Under the Family Entertainment and Copyright Act of 2005, Cogill could face penalties of up to three years in prison and fines of up to $250,000, in addition to civil penalties sought by copyright holders.

It's not like he stole a Twix!

Jarmo, you are confused, I agree what he did was bad, but just seems like weird timing.  Also I thought these were all "demo" according to some and not "finished" tracks.

No, you're the confused one.

I watch enough TV to know that arrests aren't always made on the day of the crime....

It might take time to put the pieces together and have a case.


So what if they're demos?

If you have an album being prepared for release, you don't want some unfinished tracks being played on the radio and people judging the record based on them.





/jarmo

Its good news, means the album is close.  I just don't want him to get the max penalty because I don't think he meant harm or was malicious.  And how long does it take to make a case, HE FUCKING ADMITTED THE DAY OF THE LEAKED THEM.  But it does take time for paper work.  Thing is, it was forgotten.  BUT NOT NOW.  NOW EVERYONE WILL WANT THEM AGAIN AND GET THEM.  I just would have let sleeping dogs lie.  This dog is back up now. And guess what, 85% of THIS board has all these leaks.  This man deserves justice, but take it easy on the guy.

[CAFC Nick]

Without being rude, don't you have loads of songs from the New-GNR?

No?



/jarmo

Well ok the rumours were that you had loads of the New GNR songs that aren't "out there" yet.

If not, fair enough, then i will apologise for making an accusation, but see it from the perspective of the internet fans that if there are songs from their favourite band that they aren't certain will actually ever be released, then you are going to download it, even if you feel guilty or whatever of doing it.

I think of it kind of like getting a job, if you're offered a job that you might be offered in a few years, you don't decline it just because of the possibility that you MIGHT get it in a few years.

[LordRazZ]

The bottom line is, the guy did something illegal. Are Jarmo, myself and a small handful of others the only ones seeing this?

We got away with murder for a long time. Maybe it was seen as us being mischievous, I don't know.

I know when I posted songs before, Axl's lawyers sent me an email, I pulled them down, and that was that.

Maybe the company isn't as friendly.

Maybe Axl's had enough..

Regardless, his music has been leaked repeatedly for 4 years.

[GNRVahland]

Am I the only one who still has no idea how these people get these leaked tracks (assuming it doesn't come from the inside)? Is it some janitor who happens to see a master tape just sitting there and decides to grab it? WTF? Even after the initial leaks, wouldn't security be stepped up somehow??? Of course there is going to be a paper trail leading all the way back, but how can somebody get so close that they are able to get this stuff with anybody noticing (until it get's leaked)?

No, you're not the only one. Time to tell how it's done. So leakers :"Please, speake up (a little bit would be nice) !"

[pilferk]

Under the Family Entertainment and Copyright Act of 2005, Cogill could face penalties of up to three years in prison and fines of up to $250,000, in addition to civil penalties sought by copyright holders.

It's not like he stole a Twix!

Unless there is a history of criminal behavior we don't know about, or a pretty hefty set of extenuating circumstances we don't know about....I'd be pretty shocked if they hit him with the max sentence, here.

BUT...I think that's 3 years and 250k per offense.  I THINK (and someone with more legal knowledge can correct me if I'm wrong) that means up to 27 years and 2.25 million...for 9 tracks.

[Sober_times]

Some are saying put the hosting site as liable. You cannot do that. It was the individual who uploaded the music. The individual is who is gonna pay the price. Hosting sites cannot be held responsible for what an individual uploads. Just like his ISP cannot be held responsible for what he uploads/downloads. Though if the RIAA had its way the internet would be a virtual police state...

I lost some respect for Guns, as they are low quality demos and they should not have set it up to prosecute the guy over it. Just like I lost respect for Metallica and many other bands who spoke out against downloading music. Though I understand this is a little different...