Eric Clapton Successfully Sued A Woman Who Tried To Sell A Bootleg CD On eBay
Eric Clapton has been on quite a journey lately. In recent months, the aging British guitar legend has seemingly devoted all of his energies to making sure the world knows that he’s not OK with any measures intended to stop the spread of COVID-19. Last year, Clapton joined Van Morrison on the anti-lockdown protest song “Do You Want To Be A Slave?” This year, Clapton announced that he would not play any shows that required proof of vaccine. And now, as if to further cement his heel turn, Clapton has successfully sued a fan who tried to sell a bootleg CD online.
DW reports that Clapton filed a lawsuit against a 55-year-old woman from Ratingen, a German town near Dusseldorf. The woman was trying to sell a bootleg live-recording CD of a Clapton concert that was taped in the ’80s. She’d posted the CD for sale on eBay and asked for €9.95, or about $11.20. The woman claims that she had no idea that she was infringing copyright and that her late husband had bought the CD at a department store in 1987. According to the presiding judge, though, the woman’s actions were illegal, and it doesn’t matter whether or not she realized that she was breaking the law.
After the court’s ruling, the woman will have to pay court costs for both sides, which adds up to about €3,400. If she continues trying to sell the CD, she’ll be looking at a fine of €250,000 or six months in prison.