AceShowbiz - The official merchandise provider for Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band has initiated legal action to halt the sale of counterfeit products during the ongoing Land of Hopes and Dreams American Tour, beginning with the upcoming show in New Jersey.

A subsidiary of Live Nation, Merch Traffic, filed a trademark infringement lawsuit on Thursday, April 9, targeting numerous unidentified bootleggers who have been selling unauthorized merchandise along the tour route. This legal approach is commonly used by authorized merch vendors to disrupt knockoff sales near concert venues, often involving off-duty law enforcement officers equipped with court orders to confiscate fake items.

The lawsuit obtained by Billboard reveals that counterfeiters have been distributing low-quality, underpriced imitations of official Springsteen t-shirts and hats since the tour’s opening night on March 31 in Minneapolis. Merch Traffic has now brought the suit to federal court in New Jersey as part of efforts to secure an injunction ahead of the April 20 performance at Newark’s Prudential Center, the home state of the iconic artist.

The company emphasizes the injunction should not be limited to just the New Jersey show but should extend through the duration of the nationwide tour, which runs through May. The legal filing states, "Without the proposed seizure order, plaintiff will be forced to file separate civil actions throughout the United States at an estimated expense of well over $375,000 in legal fees and costs, imposing a great burden upon both plaintiff and the judicial resources of the federal courts."

Attempts to obtain a comment from a representative for Springsteen were not successful as of Friday, April 10.

Merch Traffic and similar companies routinely pursue such legal measures during major tours to combat counterfeiters who often crowd parking lots and areas outside venues. Injunctions targeting bootleg merchandise were also implemented during two previous Springsteen tours in 2016 and 2023. Likewise, authorized merch sellers for artists like Tate McRae, Dua Lipa, and Benson Boone have filed comparable lawsuits in the past year.

This ongoing battle highlights the challenges of protecting official merchandise rights and ensuring that fans receive authentic products while minimizing financial losses caused by counterfeit sales.

As the Land of Hopes and Dreams tour continues to travel across the country, the legal action in New Jersey could set a precedent for broader enforcement against unauthorized merchandise vendors, potentially safeguarding the integrity and revenue of official tour merchandise well into the coming months.