Illegal download may spark early Oasis release

The new Oasis album is in danger of having its release date brought forward after a batch of pirate copies were sold on auction website eBay.

The rockers are set to release their sixth album Don't Believe The Truth, on May 16. But that release date is no longer a certainty after illegal copies changed hands on eBay's UK site.

It's feared the music will likely soon be available for anybody to download using file-sharing software.

The online advertisement read: "This is a very rare, full-length copy of the forthcoming Oasis album Don't Believe The Truth. This is a CDR copy which comes with promo artwork. Don't miss this opportunity to hear this album before anyone else."

Bosses at Oasis' record label Sony are tracking the anonymous seller. The source of the leak is likely to be a review copy of Don't Believe The Truth.

However, the promotional CDs are "watermarked" allowing Sony to trace the original owner.