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Feds Want to Jail Guns n Roses Album Leaker

: Image via CrunchBase

In yet another completely over-zealous attempt to stop those evil pirates from destroying the music industy, the US Attory General is not satisfied with the crazy $30,000 in fines Kevin Cogill is being made to pay for leaking a copy of Guns n Roses latest album onto the internet before its official release:

The prosecutor in the case is demanding prison time, even though the probation department recommended a sentence of probation. Why? The U.S. Attorney’s Office says probation won’t adequately protect the music industry: “The recommendation does not reflect — or discuss — the gravity of the offense and will do nothing to deter other would-be leakers in this rapidly expanding threat to the music industry,” the prosecutor argued in papers filed with the court.

Let’s put aside the fact that this is a losing (or lost) battle that the Feds are fighting on the behalf of RIAA. Instead, let’s consider how successful a similar approach against drug users and small-time dealers has been in curbing drug use.

The whole situation is infuriating. It makes no sense that the US government is wasting tax-payer dollars trying to “send a message” on behalf of a group, RIAA, that is currently being counter-sued for lovely things like intimidation and using false evidence. Not only that, but considering there probably isn’t an album out there that hasn’t found its way to a P2P site (often after being “leaked” by a member of the band or even of a label b/c it boosts sales) it seems unfair to prosecute Cogill in this way.

(via MediaPost)