Counterfeit merchandise has long been a fixture of the live music economy. For decades, bootleggers have hawked unauthorized T-shirts, posters, and other goods outside concert venues.
But in recent months, the music industry has significantly ramped up its legal action against the practice — both at the venue gates and online — with artists and merch companies increasingly turning to federal courts to crack down on unauthorized sellers.
Over the weekend, news broke that Live Nation subsidiary Merch Traffic had filed a trademark infringement lawsuit on behalf of Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, seeking a temporary restraining order and seizure order ahead of the group’s April 20 date at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
Now, according to a separate filing spotted by MBW, HYBE is cracking down too.
A complaint filed on April 9 in the US District Court for the Middle District of Florida (Tampa Division) sees HYBE, BIGHIT Music, and HYBE America sue unnamed individuals and companies — listed as John Does 1-100, Jane Does 1-100, and XYZ Companies 1-100 — described in the filing as bootleggers whose identities are not yet known. The complaint states that it “will be amended when their true names and capacities are ascertained.”
“The Bootleg Merchandise is generally of inferior quality. 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.”
excerpt from complaint filed by HYBE
The filing, which you can read in full here, arrives ahead of BTS’s performances at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa on April 25, 26, and 28 — the opening dates of the group’s US tour. Rather than targeting specific known defendants, the complaint is designed to secure a court order that would give HYBE’s agents and law enforcement the legal authority to seize counterfeit merchandise from whoever turns up selling it in and around the venues.
The plaintiffs are seeking a temporary restraining order and seizure order authorizing “agents of Plaintiffs, the local and state police, and/or any persons acting under their supervision, 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 Tampa Shows and the other U.S. concert performances on the current Tour, before, during and after said concerts.”
The complaint alleges that defendants “will sell and distribute unauthorized, infringing, and counterfeit T-shirts, posters, and other merchandise” bearing BTS’s trademarks “in the vicinity of the Tampa Shows before, during and after the performance, and at subsequent concerts during the Tour as they have done on every other prior BTS tour.”
That bootleg merchandise, the filing states, is “of the same general appearance” as official tour merchandise and is “likely to cause confusion among prospective purchasers,” while being “generally of inferior quality.”
The complaint warns that such activity is “likely to cause the purchasing public to believe that the sale of such Bootleg Merchandise is authorized, sponsored, or approved by BTS and Plaintiffs and that such Bootleg Merchandise is subject to the same quality control and regulation required by BTS and Plaintiffs.” It adds that the sale of counterfeit goods “also injures Artist and Plaintiffs in that Defendants do not have to pay any royalty for these unlawful sales.”
The filing brings four causes of action: violation of the Lanham Act, unfair competition, violation of the right of publicity under Florida statute, and violation of the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act. It also seeks damages and the delivery and destruction of all bootleg merchandise.
HYBE notes that it previously obtained identical relief in connection with BTS concerts in 2019 and 2021, when courts in California and the Northern District of Illinois granted temporary restraining orders and authorized the seizure of counterfeit goods. In those cases, “HYBE and its authorized representatives seized a substantial amount of counterfeit and infringing Bootleg Merchandise from bootleggers in the vicinity of BTS’s concert performances,” the complaint states.
The filing also reveals that HYBE has licensed BTS’s trademarks for official tour merchandise to its wholly-owned US subsidiary, HYBE America, which has entered into an agreement with Amazon.com Services, LLC to sell official tour merchandise.
HYBE is represented by K&L Gates (Miami) and Loeb & Loeb (New York).
The HYBE and Springsteen filings are the latest in a growing wave of anti-counterfeiting litigation across the music industry, targeting both physical bootleggers at concert venues and knock-off sellers online.
On the touring side, Sony‘s merch venture Ceremony of Roses has recently obtained court orders targeting bootleggers at Benson Boone and Dua Lipa concerts, while Merch Traffic previously filed comparable claims in connection with Tate McRae‘s Miss Possessive Tour.
On the e-commerce front, the estate of late rapper MF Doom and pop duo Twenty One Pilots have both filed lawsuits against Temu over alleged knock-off merchandise sold on the platform. In 2023, Harry Styles targeted sellers on AliExpress, Amazon, eBay, and Etsy, and Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour sued the operator of a fake online storefront selling unauthorized merch.
The surge in legal action reflects the growing financial importance of merchandise to the music business.
The merch operation at the world’s largest music company, UMG‘s Bravado, for example, generated $912 million in revenue in 2025 and is sure to have a billion dollars in annual turnover in its sights for 2026.
As MBW has previously reported, the boom in live music has made ancillary income at concerts, particularly from apparel and consumer goods, an increasingly significant earnings stream for artists and their partners.
According to MIDiA Research, expanded rights revenue — which covers labels’ participation in merch, live, and branding — grew 21.5% in 2025.
At the same time, counterfeiting has become easier than ever. The proliferation of low-cost manufacturers and print-on-demand services has lowered the barrier to producing knock-off goods, while online platforms have given small-time sellers access to a global customer base.
The US leg of the BTS WORLD TOUR ARIRANG is scheduled to visit 10 cities between April and September, with stadium dates in Tampa, El Paso, Stanford, Las Vegas, East Rutherford, Foxborough, Baltimore, Arlington, Chicago, and Los Angeles.Music Business Worldwide
Counterfeit merchandise has been an enduring issue in the live music economy for decades. Unauthorized sellers have traditionally sold items like T-shirts and posters outside concert venues. Recently, however, the music industry has intensified its legal efforts to combat this practice, with artists and merchandise companies increasingly resorting to federal courts to address unauthorized sales both at venues and online.
A notable example of this escalating legal action occurred when Live Nation subsidiary Merch Traffic filed a trademark infringement lawsuit on behalf of Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band. This lawsuit aimed to secure a temporary restraining order and seizure order in preparation for the band’s performance at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, set for April 20.
In a separate case, HYBE, the parent company of K-pop sensation BTS, has also initiated legal action against unidentified counterfeiters. A complaint filed on April 9 in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida targets unnamed individuals and companies, referred to as John Does and Jane Does, as well as XYZ Companies. The complaint outlines the detrimental effects of bootleg merchandise on BTS’s reputation, emphasizing that such goods are of inferior quality compared to the official merchandise sold during their tours. It states that the unauthorized sale of this merchandise could mislead consumers into believing that it is authorized by BTS, undermining the quality assurance associated with the band’s official products.
The complaint further seeks a temporary restraining order and seizure order that would empower HYBE’s agents and law enforcement to confiscate counterfeit merchandise around the venues during BTS’s concerts scheduled for April 25, 26, and 28 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. This lawsuit also aims to prevent the sale of unauthorized and infringing merchandise, which is often similar in appearance to official items, thus causing confusion among potential buyers.
The legal action brought forth by HYBE underscores a significant trend within the music industry, as the company seeks to protect its intellectual property and revenue streams from counterfeiters. The complaint brings forth multiple causes of action, including violations of the Lanham Act, unfair competition, and violations of Florida’s laws against deceptive trade practices. The case seeks not only damages but also the destruction of all counterfeit merchandise.
HYBE’s legal team has successfully obtained similar relief in past years, having secured court orders to seize counterfeit goods during BTS concerts in 2019 and 2021. The filing also highlights HYBE’s licensing agreements for BTS’s trademarks, which have been designated for official merchandise sales through its subsidiary, HYBE America, in collaboration with Amazon.
The actions taken by HYBE and Springsteen’s team represent a broader movement within the music industry to combat counterfeiting. Other artists, including Dua Lipa and Tate McRae, have also pursued legal action against bootleggers, while various labels have targeted online sellers of unauthorized merchandise on platforms like Temu, AliExpress, eBay, and Etsy.
The surge in legal action reflects the growing financial significance of merchandise sales to the music industry. For instance, UMG’s Bravado, the largest music merchandise operation, reported revenues of $912 million in 2025, with projections indicating a billion-dollar turnover in 2026. This increase in revenue from merchandise sales has become an essential income stream for artists, especially as live music has rebounded post-pandemic.
Research indicates that expanded rights revenue, which includes income from merchandise, live performances, and branding, rose by 21.5% in 2025. In tandem, counterfeiting has become more accessible due to low-cost manufacturing and print-on-demand services, along with online platforms allowing small sellers to reach a global audience.
BTS’s upcoming WORLD TOUR ARIRANG is set to visit ten cities across the U.S. from April to September, highlighting the importance of protecting official merchandise sales during these high-profile events. As the battle against counterfeit goods intensifies, it is clear that both artists and their management teams are becoming increasingly vigilant in safeguarding their brands and revenues against unauthorized sales.
