Qantas investigator new music piracy enforcer

The sources said Kerin was slated to replace the former general manager of Music Industry Piracy Investigations (MIPI), Michael Speck, who left the unit on 15 April.

Kerin acknowledged his appointment with MIPI in a brief telephone conversation with ZDNet Australia . He said he had spent 16 years in the NSW police service before joining the airline two-and-a-half years ago.

MIPI's overseer, the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), declined to comment beyond saying an announcement would be made soon.

MIPI is being oversighted by ARIA until the new general manager takes up his appointment on 23 May.

Speck is believed to be assisting MIPI on a consultancy basis prior to and during the changeover.

The MIPI boss said when resigning in February he had left the position to "do some things that I haven't been able to do because of how busy I've been."

Speck led the legal battle against peer-to-peer software provider Sharman Networks, which became one of the highest-profile music industry cases to date. He also conducted the investigation against Internet service provider Comcen and the operator of the Web site mp3s4free.net, as well as the raid against ISP Swiftel.