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This woman sold $400,000 worth of bootleg t-shirts. Yes, that was a problem.

Johanna Donnelly of Norwich in England had a pretty good racket going. She sold bootleg band t-shirts–Led Zeppelin, Foo Fighters, Rolling Stones, The Clash, and more, all labeled as official–moving about £250,000 (CAD$406,000) worth of merchandise. How much of that went to the bands? Zero.

After an investigation, it was determined that Donnelly broke the law 20 times. The gear was not genuine, there was trademark infringement (there was unauthorized use of logos), and the quality of the t-shirts was crap. She sold everything through eBay as well as her own website.

Donnelly was sentenced to a six-month suspended prison sentence, 150 hours of unpaid work, and a 10-day rehabilitation stint. The judge also noted that she had £141,655 in recoverable assets. She has to pay that amount within three months or she’ll end up in jail for five months.

More here.

Alan Cross

is an internationally known broadcaster, interviewer, writer, consultant, blogger and speaker. In his 40+ years in the music business, Alan has interviewed the biggest names in rock, from David Bowie and U2 to Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters. He’s also known as a musicologist and documentarian through programs like The Ongoing History of New Music.

Alan Cross has 39695 posts and counting. See all posts by Alan Cross

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