HYBE, BIGHIT Music, and HYBE America have filed a lawsuit in New Jersey federal court seeking to stop the sale of counterfeit BTS merchandise around the group’s shows at MetLife Stadium next month.
The complaint, which you can read in full here, was filed on Friday (July 10) in the US District Court for the District of New Jersey, ahead of BTS’s two concerts in East Rutherford on August 1 and 2.
Filed by law firm Loeb & Loeb, the suit names John Does 1-100, Jane Does 1-100, and XYZ Companies 1-100 as defendants, described in the filing as bootleggers whose identities are not yet known.
Rather than targeting named sellers, the suit seeks a court order authorizing HYBE and law enforcement to seize counterfeit goods from whoever sells them in the vicinity of the venue.
The plaintiffs are asking the court to authorize agents and police to “seize and impound any and all Bootleg Merchandise which the Defendants attempt to sell, distribute or hold for sale at, within, or in the vicinity of the East Rutherford Shows and the other U.S. concert performances on the current Tour, before, during and after said concerts.”
The complaint says it “will be amended when their true names and capacities are ascertained”, referring to the unidentified defendants.
“The Bootleg Merchandise is generally of inferior quality.”
HYBE legal filing
It is not the first such filing tied to the BTS WORLD TOUR ARIRANG.
In April, the company filed a near-identical complaint in Florida federal court ahead of the tour’s opening shows in Tampa, as previously reported by MBW.
HYBE also notes in the New Jersey filing that it obtained identical relief in 2019 and 2021, including the seizure of counterfeit merchandise at MetLife Stadium in May 2019.
The filing is one of several recent anti-counterfeiting actions across the music industry.
In June, Universal Music Group‘s merchandise arm Bravado obtained a court order to seize counterfeit merchandise from bootleggers at A$AP Rocky‘s Don’t Be Dumb World Tour.
HYBE’s latest complaint brings four causes of action: violation of the Lanham Act, unfair competition, violation of the right of publicity under New Jersey common law, and violation of the New Jersey Unfair Competition Act.
It says the counterfeit goods are “of the same general appearance” as the official Tour Merchandise and “likely to cause confusion among prospective purchasers.”
“The Bootleg Merchandise is generally of inferior quality,” HYBE says in the filing.
“The sale of such merchandise is likely to injure the reputation of BTS and Plaintiffs, which have developed the reputation for high quality associated with the Tour Merchandise by virtue of BTS’s public performances and Plaintiffs’ sale of officially licensed BTS merchandise in connection with such performances.”
The filing adds that the sales also injure BTS and the plaintiffs “in that Defendants do not have to pay any royalty for these unlawful sales.”
According to the complaint, HYBE has licensed the official tour merchandise rights to HYBE America, which has an agreement with Amazon.com Services, LLC to sell official merchandise.
In its 2025 sustainability report, HYBE said it also works with Amazon to remove counterfeit listings, reporting 92,208 such removals over four months last year.
It said it confiscated 19,356 counterfeit items in physical crackdowns during 2025, including from vendors around a j-hope solo concert venue.
The US leg of the tour runs across 10 cities between April and September, with the MetLife Stadium dates followed by stops in Foxborough, Baltimore, Arlington, Chicago, and Los Angeles.
BTS’s comeback album Arirang, released on March 20, debuted at No.1 on the Billboard 200 and drew more than 110 million streams on Spotify in its first 24 hours.
The release helped drive HYBE to record first-quarter revenue of $477 million, up 39.5% year-over-year.
Separately, HYBE is among the defendants in a copyright lawsuit filed on July 8 by three songwriters who allege the Arirang single SWIM copied their demo, the third US copyright complaint against the company in two months.Music Business Worldwide
HYBE, BIGHIT Music, and HYBE America have initiated legal action in a New Jersey federal court to halt the sale of counterfeit merchandise associated with BTS during the group’s upcoming concerts at MetLife Stadium on August 1 and 2. The lawsuit, filed on July 10 in the US District Court for the District of New Jersey, aims to protect the integrity of BTS’s brand and ensure fans receive genuine merchandise.
The legal complaint, prepared by the law firm Loeb & Loeb, identifies defendants as John Does 1-100, Jane Does 1-100, and XYZ Companies 1-100, who are described as unidentified bootleggers. Instead of targeting specific individuals or companies, the lawsuit seeks a court order that would empower HYBE and law enforcement to seize counterfeit goods sold in the vicinity of the concert venue. The plaintiffs are asking for the authority to “seize and impound any and all Bootleg Merchandise which the Defendants attempt to sell, distribute or hold for sale” around the concert dates.
In its filing, HYBE emphasizes that the counterfeit merchandise in question is typically of inferior quality and is likely to cause confusion among consumers. The complaint asserts that these counterfeit products closely resemble the official tour merchandise, which can harm the reputation of BTS and the plaintiffs, who have built a high-quality brand image associated with their official products. Importantly, the lawsuit highlights that the sale of counterfeit items does not contribute any royalties to the artists or the plaintiffs, which further damages their financial interests.
The current complaint is not an isolated incident; HYBE previously filed a similar lawsuit in April in Florida ahead of the tour’s opening shows in Tampa. The organization has a history of successfully obtaining relief from such counterfeit sales, having previously secured court orders in 2019 and 2021 that allowed for the seizure of counterfeit merchandise at MetLife Stadium.
The lawsuit cites multiple legal grounds for the action, including violations of the Lanham Act, unfair competition, and violations of the right of publicity under New Jersey common law. Additionally, it references the New Jersey Unfair Competition Act. The legal team asserts that the counterfeit goods are not only misleading but also detrimental to the brand’s reputation.
HYBE has licensed the rights to official tour merchandise to HYBE America, which collaborates with Amazon.com Services, LLC, to sell authentic merchandise. In a bid to combat counterfeiting, HYBE has also reportedly worked with Amazon to remove counterfeit listings, successfully eliminating over 92,000 such listings in a four-month period last year. Furthermore, the company confiscated more than 19,000 counterfeit items during physical crackdowns in 2025, including those near concert venues.
The US leg of the BTS WORLD TOUR ARIRANG spans ten cities from April to September, with the MetLife Stadium concerts followed by additional stops in Foxborough, Baltimore, Arlington, Chicago, and Los Angeles. This tour coincides with the release of BTS’s comeback album, « Arirang, » which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and garnered over 110 million streams on Spotify within its first 24 hours. This success has significantly contributed to HYBE’s financial performance, with the company reporting a record first-quarter revenue of $477 million, marking a 39.5% increase year-over-year.
In a separate but notable development, HYBE is also facing a copyright lawsuit filed on July 8 by three songwriters who claim that the single « SWIM » from the « Arirang » album infringes on their demo. This lawsuit marks the third copyright complaint against HYBE within a two-month period.
Overall, HYBE’s proactive legal stance against counterfeit merchandise underscores the company’s commitment to protecting its artists’ brand integrity and revenue streams while enhancing fan experiences by ensuring access to authentic products. The ongoing legal battles also highlight the complexities of the music industry, where issues of copyright and merchandise authenticity are increasingly coming to the forefront as artists and companies strive to navigate a landscape rife with counterfeit risks.
