Bootleg merchandise has been a long-standing tradition of concertgoing for decades, but Bruce Springsteen has joined a growing list of artists looking to put a stop to it being sold outside of venues.
The Boss is seeking to prevent the sale of unauthorized "Bruce Springsteen" and/or "E Street Band" merchandise outside his upcoming gig at Newark’s Prudential Center on April 20.
Last week Live Nation’s Merch Traffic division, which looks after Springsteen’s official merch, filed a request asking for permission to have the courts instruct "United States Marshal” and “local and state police” to “seize and impound any and all infringing merchandise” that is being sold “in the vicinity” of his concert.
The move comes as artists such as Dua Lipa, Benson Boone and Tate McRae look to instigate a crackdown on "rogue" merch retailers from selling unofficial apparel that infringes on artist trademarks, like “t-shirts, jerseys, caps and/or other merchandise.”
The injunction seeks to protect fans from purchasing knock-off merch “of the same general appearance [but] generally of inferior quality” that is “not authorized” by the musician.
As Complete Music Update notes, Springsteen could face some opposition in President Donald Trump, who US Marshals report to. Both the 76-year-old rocker and the 79-year-old commander in chief have publicly exchanged insults for years now. Just yesterday (April 12), Trump posted an unflattering, AI-generated image of the Boss to his Truth Social account asking "What Happened To Bruce Springsteen?"
So chances are Springsteen will likely need to lean on the Newark Police Division and the New Jersey State Police to carry out his request.