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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsEric Clapton successfully sues 55-year-old German widow for listing bootleg CD on eBay for $11
that'll show her!
The woman referred to in filings as Gabriele P. will have to pay court costs for both herself and Clapton, reportedly totaling almost $4,000
A 55-year-old German widow named in reports as Gabriele P. has reportedly been mandated to pay for court costs for both herself and Eric Clapton, after the electric guitar player successfully sued her over the sale of a live bootleg CD on eBay.
According to the German newspaper Bild, the bootleg, Live USA, was purchased by the defendant's late husband at a department store more than 30 years ago. Gabriele then went on to list the album on eBay for 9.95 (~$11) in July, after which Clapton citing the illegal nature of the 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.
Gabriele P. now reportedly faces either a 250,000 fine or six-month prison sentence if she continues her efforts to sell the album.
https://www.guitarworld.com/news/eric-clapton-widow-bootleg-lawsuit

dchill
(42,660 posts)ProfessorGAC
(73,487 posts)There's no material harm to Clapton.
Seems to me the court could simply have forbidden the sale of the CD, or any copies.
Doesn't matter that it's German law. The point of law is to codify justice. There's no justice in punishing this woman.
I sure don't see how it's immaterial that she didn't buy the CD, nor that she didn't know it was in violation of copyright. Seems a silly lapse in logic by the courts.
Woodswalker
(549 posts)Clapton might be a bit of a douchebag
Ron Green
(9,862 posts)NoRethugFriends
(3,425 posts)MichMan
(15,390 posts)Refused, and told them to go ahead and sue her. So they did.