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Eric Clapton Sues Woman Selling Bootleg CD On eBay

Eric Clapton Sues Woman Selling Bootleg CD On eBay

The 76-year-old sued the German women for copyright infringement, and she now must pay a hefty sum in legal fees

Eric Clapton has successfully sued a woman who tried to sell a bootlegged CD on eBay.

A woman in Germany was selling a bootlegged copy of a Clapton concert from the 1980s on eBay for £8.45. 

Evidently nothing gets past Clapton, as his team proceeded to sue her for copyright infringement, despite her only being set to make a measly £7.20 profit. 

Alamy

DW reported the 55-year-old woman was trying to sell a CD she says was purchased by her late husband from a well-known department store in 1987. 

She claimed she had no clue that what she was doing was illegal and appealed, however, her appeal was denied. 

She has now been ordered to pay both parties' legal fees, totalling €3,400 (£2,800). 

If she tries to continue to sell the CD, she'll face a fine of €250,000 (£212,000) or six months in prison.

Clapton’s manager Michael Eaton told the Guardian: “Germany is a country where sales of bootleg and counterfeit CDs are rife, which damages the industry and customers with poor quality and misleading recordings.

"Along with a number of other major artists and record companies, over a number of years Eric Clapton has, through German lawyers, successfully pursued hundreds of bootleg cases in the German courts under routine German copyright procedures.

“Costs are usually minimal unless the case is argued in court, which is what happened here as the lady instructed her own lawyers.

"Now that the full facts of this particular case have come to light, the intention is that the formal German proceedings will not be pursued any further.”

This is not the first time Eric Clapton has been in the news this year for controversial reasons. 

The 76-year-old hit out at pandemic ‘propaganda’ after he claimed to have a ‘disastrous’ reaction to the coronavirus vaccine. 

Alamy

The musician claimed he had 'severe reactions which last ten days' after getting jabbed.

Experts have stressed the benefits of getting a vaccine outweigh the risk of any side effects.

He's also refused to perform at venues which require proof of vaccination for attendees.

The legendary musician said he doesn't want to perform on 'any stage where there is a discriminated audience present'. 

His anti-restrictions rhetoric continued, as he teamed up with Van Morrison late last year to release the anti-lockdown track 'Stand and Deliver', where they sing: "Do you wanna be a free man / Or do you wanna be a slave?"

Featured Image Credit: Alamy

Topics: Music, Coronavirus