Legendary rocker Eric Clapton won a lawsuit brought against a German woman who was trying to sell a bootlegged copy of one of his concerts on eBay for the equivalent of about $11.
The victim, known as Gabrielle P., said her husband had bought the Clapton CD back in the 1980s and that she wasn’t aware she violated any copyright laws when she put it up for auction.
The German news agency reports that although the women had never been able to sell the concert CD live, they will have to now pay almost $4,000 in court costs due to copyright violation. DW.
Take action Eric Clapton settled a case against a German woman trying to sell a bootleg of his 1980 concert for $11.20.
The bootleg titled — Eric Clapton: Live USA — was listed on eBay for 9.95 euros, or about $11.20, for one day before it was removed.
Clapton was notified of the posting and took legal action. He sent the court an injunction stating that the recordings had been illegal.
She lives in Ratingen in Germany, about one hour from Cologne. The court was told by the woman that her husband purchased it in a well-known department store in 1987.
The judge ruled that it didn’t matter that she hadn’t purchased the CD herself and did not know the recording was done illegally.
In the end, the injunction required the defendant to pay the legal fees of both parties, which came to about €3,400, which translates to about $4,000.
The verdict: A German judge ruled it was irrelevant that the woman did not actually buy the CD. This was a recording of Clapton’s concert in 1980s and she had no idea that this recording was illegal.
Also, the court ruled against her trying to sell Clapton bootlegs again she faced a fine of €250,000 or six months in prison.
Klaus Günther, the woman’s attorney, told Bild that she planned to ‘appeal again.’
Clapton’s legal staff contacted the woman to demand that the illegal CD be removed from eBay. However, she refused and requested that they stop harassing the women.
The GuardianAccording to reports, she told Team Clapton that they could sue her if they got so upset by her $11 sales.
The years have passed. The rock and blues guitar player has been one of a number of prominent artists and record labels that have won hundreds of bootleg cases before German courts.
Thousands in court fees over $11 CD: Following the judge’s ruling, the injunction required the defendant to pay the legal fees of both parties, which came to about €3,400, or about $4,000