Kevin Cogill, the blogger who posted nine songs from Chinese Democracy on antiquiet.com long before its November 23rd release, plead guilty to one charge of copyright violation in California Federal Court this past Monday. Cogill initially seemed primed for a public showdown, which seemed imminent after his highly publicized arrest. After the Court expressed its disapproval over prosecutorial overzealousness, a plea bargain was reached in which Cogill pleads guilty in exchange for a sentencing recommendation of probation. While the Court is free to ignore the U.S. Attorney's suggestion and impose a one year jail sentence and significant fines, it seemed reluctant to make as big a Federal case over the issue as the RIAA.

For a period of time, it seemed as if Cogill had more interest in promoting Chinese Democracy than Axl Rose. That changed recently as Axl Rose has taken to the Internet to chat with fans and leave long rambling missives on GnR message boards. Anyone thinking Rose has been playing coy or unresponsive to talking about Guns N' Roses will get their fix; Axl is quite open and glib and covers a great number of topics. It's a fine, lengthy read: he quashes the hopes of those expecting a true GnR reunion anytime soon and finally gives his side of some popular Slash stories.

Labels: Guns N' Roses