Blogger sentenced for leaking songs

Kevin Cogill, the blogger who leaked songs from Guns N’ Roses’ new album last year, was sentenced to one year of probation last week by a federal judge in Los Angeles. Cogill will also serve two months of home confinement (which I heard a DJ joke will give Cogill plenty of time to leak more albums), allow the government to keep tabs on his computers and record a public service announcement for the Recording Industry Association of America.

Cogill, whose nom de blog is Skwerl, pleaded guilty earlier this year to one count of copyright infringment, a misdemeanor, according to the Associated Press. He faced a maximum of one year in jail and fines and restitution in the amount of $371,000.

Cogill’s site, Antiquiet, has a bit more colorful take on the case’s outcome. (Warning: “colorful” means “uses profanities.”) Cogill himself commented that he respects artists’ right to decide how their music is released.

“In that sense, I will concede to an error in judgement I do not intend to repeat,” he wrote.