Photo: Twitter/@kaneomak
British music pirate Kane Robinson, who founded Dancingjesus.com, has been jailed for two-and-a-half years.
The music thief who was reportedly responsible for £242 million in lost profits, admitted to two offences under the copyright act and was jailed for 32 months. The little money he made from piracy was used for the upkeep of the site and the "kudos" of releasing music before anyone else.
Dancingjesus.com acted as a forum for pirates, allowed users to both share and request music that was often unreleased. Releases from the likes of Kanye West, Adele and Jay-Z could be downloaded in a two tier format, a slow free download, or a fast download that was paid for by the user.
"Dancingjesus.com had singles and albums prior to the official release dates and claimed to be unrivalled in that," prosecutor David Groome told the court. "It was perceived by the industry as presenting a real and serious threat to their economic interests. In 2010 and 2011, out of the best selling 50 singles worldwide, 46 were leaked first via the dancingjesus.com website."
Director of the BPI's Copyright Protection Unit, David Wood, added: "Today's sentencing sends a clear message to the operators and users of illegal music sites that online piracy is a criminal activity that will not be tolerated by law enforcement in the UK or overseas."
'Piracy - particularly pre-release - can make or break an artist's career, and can determine whether a record label is able to invest in that crucial second or third album."
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