The man responsible for posting tracks from the forthcoming Guns N' Roses album on his blog has been arrested on suspicion of violating federal copyright laws.
Originally, it was all looking so well for Kevin Cogill. In June, he was the bold music pirate who posted leaked tracks from Chinese Democracy to his blog, Antiquiet. Though Axl Rose's lawyers came calling, Cogill likely thought himself in the clear once Antiquiet took the material down. Alas, no. The 27-year-old was arrested yesterday at his Los Angeles home. According to the arrest affidavit, Cogill was not exactly furtive. When questioned by the FBI, he readily admitted to posting the songs.
For a brief time two months ago, Cogill's blog was the talk of the internet. The obscure site had somehow acquired advance material from Chinese Democracy, the most anticipated album in rock for more than a decade. These were new leaks, not yet ubiquitous on the web. And within hours, the surge in traffic knocked Antiquiet offline.
Though the site eventually resumed service, Cogill received a call from Guns N' Roses' legal team. "It was a really cool guy from the GN'R camp that was a middle man between someone who was very angry and me," Cogill told Rolling Stone in June. "He was trying to reach out and see if I'd go without a fight, which is more or less what I did." Cogill took the songs down, but he has never publicly disclosed the source of his scoop.
Cogill did not seem particularly worried at the time. "If legal proceedings come my way, I'll face them 100%," he said. "I'm not afraid of that. I did what I did, and I'll face the music if I have to."
Unfortunately, Cogill is now facing a great deal of music. The blogger faces penalties of up to three years in prison and fines of $250,000 (£125,000), according to Digital Media Wire. He could also be hit with civil suits by the copyright holders.
Cogill is set to appear at Los Angeles' US District Court. No word yet if he will live-blog the proceedings.
