Eric Clapton sues woman for selling $15 CD on eBay

Eric Clapton has won a copyright infringement case against a woman who attempted to sell a burned copy of a Clapton concert.

Nobody riffs on Eric Clapton — least of all bootleggers.

As one widow just learned, Clapton doesn’t take too kindly to anyone profiting off of his music — not even just $15.

The Cream guitarist has won a copyright infringement case against a woman in Germany who attempted to sell a burned copy of a Clapton concert recorded in the 1980s, the New York Post reports.

British rock and blues guitarist Eric Clapton. Picture: AFP

DW reported that she copied the work from a CD purchased at a department store by her late husband in 1987.

The 55-year-old woman from Ratingen was selling the ripped disc on eBay for €9.95, or about $15.69. Minus shipping and eBay’s share of the sale — that’s a cut of 14.55% plus 30 cents off the sale price on music (excluding vinyl) — she stood to make an estimated $13.05.

The defendant told a Düsseldorf regional court that she had no idea that what she was doing was illegal and appealed the injunction.

Her appeal was denied, however, and she’ll have to pay approximately €3400 ($5361) to cover legal fees for both parties. Should she make another attempt to cell the CD, she’ll face fines of up to €250,000 ($394,233) or six months in prison.

Eric Clapton prevailed in a copyright infringement lawsuit against a German woman who attempted to sell a burned copy of one of his live concert recordings from the 1980s. Picture: Getty

It’s far from the first time the 76-year-old has suggested he’s the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s foremost curmudgeon. Last year, Clapton emerged as an outspoken opponent of public health measures to reduce the spread of the coronavirus. He decried state-mandated lockdowns during outbreaks and refused to perform in venues where the unvaccinated are barred from entry.

So inspired was Clapton by anti-vaxxer rhetoric that he collaborated with fellow singer and dissident Van Morrison on a song, “Stand and Deliver,” which includes the thinly veiled protest lyric, “Do you wanna be a free man … Or do you wanna be a slave?”

And earlier this year, the “Change the World” singer also reportedly donated £1,000 ($1,360) to an online fundraiser for the boycott band Jam for Freedom, from the United Kingdom, to help cover fines they incurred after breaching pandemic safety protocol at a gig.

This article originally appeared on the New York Post and was reproduced with permission

Originally published as Eric Clapton sues woman for selling $15 CD on eBay