FBI Arrests Blogger Over Online Music SharingFBI Arrests Blogger Over Online Music Sharing

A Los Angeles blogger has been arrested for allegedly sharing music online.

Twenty-seven-year-old Kevin Cogill was arrested by FBI agents at his home Wednesday and charged with violating federal copyright laws. He is accused of releasing several Guns N' Roses songs from their album Chinese Democracy before the album's commercial release.

Cogill posts as "Skwerl" on Antiquiet, a site that boasts uncensored music reviews and interviews. Until this week, Cogill had authored several posts indicating the FBI was investigating him and clarifying information about the investigation as it appeared in several published reports.

After Cogill's arrest, his colleagues wrote about how Cogill was arrested in his pajamas before 7 a.m. and how government agents recommended bail be set at $50,000. Cogill was released on a signature bond of $10,000 after the judge said he thought Cogill should have received a summons instead of being arrested at his home.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Sept. 17, and Cogill's arraignment is scheduled for Sept. 22 in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles.

The FBI investigation has been reported in Rolling Stone, Time magazine, and The Los Angeles Times.

Debate on Cogill's own blog shows followers split between those who believe the government overreacted and those who believe Cogill and others like him are to blame for the music industry's falling revenue.