Eric Clapton sues German woman for selling bootleg CD on eBay, resulting on hefty fine

Eric Clapton sues German woman for selling bootleg CD on eBay, resulting on hefty fine
Gareth Cattermole/Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images

Eric Clapton has won a court case he brought against a 55-year-old German woman who put up for sale on eBay a CD featuring a bootlegged performance of a concert Clapton played in the U.S. during the 1980s.

German news website DW.com reports that a regional court in Dusseldorf sided with Clapton in issuing an injunction stopping the woman from selling the disc after Eric sent an affidavit that said the recordings were illegal.

According to the German newspaper Bild, the woman, who was identified only as Gabrielle P., was ordered to pay legal fees of 3,400 euros, or about $3,850 U.S.

The woman, who was selling the CD for 9.95 euros — about $11.30 — claimed that she had inherited the disc from her late husband, recalling that he told her he’d purchased it at a well-known department store, and that she didn’t realize the disc was bootlegged.

The court ruled that it didn’t matter that the defendant was unaware of the status of the CD. Bild also reports that if the woman continues to try to sell the disc on eBay, she could face a fine of 250,000 euros — about $283,000 — or six months in prison.

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