A 55-year-old German widow has reportedly been mandated to pay for court costs for both herself and Eric Clapton, after the three time Rock and Roll Hall of Famer successfully sued her over the sale of a live bootleg CD on eBay, according to German newspaper Bild (via Guitar World).
The woman, referred to in reports as Gabriele P., was selling her late husband’s CD on eBay. She says that her husband bought the CD, Live USA, at a department store more than 30 years ago. She was selling it for the equivalent of $11. Clapton, citing the fact that it was an unauthorized album, sent the court an affidavit.
The Düsseldorf Regional Court ruled in Clapton’s favor, and yesterday (December 15) rejected Gabriele P’s appeal on the initial ruling, saying that the facts that she neither bought the CD herself initially nor knew, at the time she listed it on eBay, that it was a bootleg, were immaterial. She now faces a fine of the equivalent of $280,000 and six months in jail if she continues to try to sell the album… for $11.
Clapton may be upset that this is being reported on, as he has said that he’s upset about how the media has been treating him since he has taken stands against lockdowns to fight COVID-19 and vaccine mandates.