Eric Clapton has successfully sued a 55-year-old German widow for listing a live bootleg CD on eBay for $11.
The woman, who has been named in filings as Gabriele P., has now been mandated to pay court costs for both herself and Clapton, which reportedly totals almost $4,000, according to Guitar World.
The defendant's late husband purchased the bootleg, "Live USA," at a department store more than 30 years ago and in July she listed it on eBay for €9.95 (roughly $11). Shortly after, Clapton sent the court an affidavit citing the illegal nature of the album, and the Düsseldorf Regional Court ruled in his favor.
Gabriele P. filed an appeal on the initial ruling but the court rejected it on Thursday. The judge ruled that it did not matter that the woman did not purchase the CD herself, or that she did not know it had been recorded illegally.
The CD has not been confiscated, but the woman could face up to six months in prison and hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines.
Clapton has generated a fair amount of negative publicity lately. In October, he faced backlash after reportedly declaring his support to an anti-vax group by donating over $1,300 to them and lending them his family van.
He has also been criticized for refusing to play at venues that require attendees to produce proof of vaccination, and won't play "unless there is provision made for all people to attend." He has also spoken out against the COVID-19 vaccine and documented his own negative experience in the process.
"The reactions were disastrous, my hands and feet were either frozen, numb or burning, and pretty much useless for two weeks; I feared I would never play again," Clapton wrote in a statement via the Telegram account of Italian architect and COVID skeptic Robin Monotti, according to Rolling Stone. Clapton added that he should "never have gone near the needle" given that he suffers from peripheral neuropathy. "But the propaganda said the vaccine was safe for everyone," he wrote.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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