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| 13 September 2003 |
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| Norwegian Lene Marlin leakage on the net |
| Source : Aftenposten |
A server at the Postal Office's daughter company Ergo Group was the source for the leakage of Lene Marlin's new record Another Day on the Internet. Now EMI give notice of a lawsuit of huge dimensions.
- I still don't know yet how big a lawsuit we're talking about, but there will be a lot of zeros, says EMI-director Per Eirik Johansen.
He's just furious at what has happened, even though he was prepared for it to happen, since Another Day physically was released one week ago, and has already been sent out to some journalists, retail traders and people in record companies.
- The damage has already been done, and that we can't get to stop. The album is already reviewed at some places and observed on servers among other places in China. However, for us this constitutes a significant damage. Lene Marlin is our greatest artist, and was to be released in Norway and the whole of Europe as a large priority on Monday, September 22. There's no doubt this has cost us a lot of money, says Johansen.
Reported to the police
After he got a tip about Another Day being out on the net yesterday morning, he started in cooperation with the record company in London to look for the origin. The surprise was great when the trace led to Ergo Group in Norway. After he and IFPI-manager Sæmund Fiskvik have had a meeting with some people from there, the company quickly found out that it was correct, and after half an hour the server in question at the Postal Office's daughter company was closed down.
Ergo Group has now also reported this case to the police.
- We did this after having discovered that an illegally copied version of Lene Marlin's new album was available at internet adresses which belong to the company. The internet adresses lie on a machine which is rented out as web-hotel, but the machine was quickly physically secured and made unavailable, says information manager Wibecke Brusdal.
Serious matter
She emphasises that Ergo Group look upon this case as a very serious matter.
- Our first priority has been to reduce the damage and secure evidence, says Brusdal.
She makes a point of that Ergo Group, together with the police and representatives from the record company, wish to contribute to the revelation of all facts.
Per Erik Johansen still won't say if EMI would press charges against the Postal Office, Ergo Group or the responsible behind the leakage.
- However, somebody it will be. These are cynical people who in addition is pouring out crappy advertisements to those who chooses to download music from their page, says Johansen.
Not the first one
Lene Marlin is the first Norwegian artist of a greater calibre who has been subject to this, but she is not alone experiencing that new music gets to be available on the net long before release.
Earlier this year, for instance, an incomplete version of Radiohead's new album was put out, and last year the release of Eminem's latest album The Eminem Show was hastened with one week because the album was available on the net and as pirate copies on the street market in New York.
And a quick round on the website that has put out Another Day shows that also unreleased albums of among others Sting, David Bowie and Travis are being advertised as available.
Translation by Tef Johs
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