A woman in Germany who put a bootleg Eric Clapton CD on eBay for about $14 has been ordered to pay a little more than $4,900 in legal fees.
Gabriele P., a 55-year-old municipal worker in the town of Ratingen near Düsseldorf, found the Eric Clapton - Live USA CD in her husband’s belongings following his death. She listed it on eBay for just under 10 euros.
The CD was removed from eBay after one day when Clapton’s reps said it was recorded illegally in the ‘80s and therefore the sale constituted copyright infringement. The musician provided an affidavit and was granted an injunction.
Gabriele said she recalled her husband telling her he bought the CD in 1987 at a legitimate department store.
On Wednesday, a judge in a Düsseldorf court denied Gabriele’s appeal of the injunction, ruling that her lack of knowledge of the recording’s origins was not relevant. If she attempts to sell the CD again, she could face fines up to about $360,000 or spend six months in prison.
According to Bild, the woman’s lawyer accused Clapton, 76, of “shooting sparrows with cannons.”