What’s rocking harder than Benson Boone’s backflips on his American Heart Tour? A major legal battle! Sony’s official merch partner is taking a stand against rampant counterfeiters. Will they successfully shut down the flood of knockoffs plaguing concert venues, or will fans keep getting duped?

A significant legal battle is unfolding in the music industry as Sony’s merchandise partner, Ceremony of Roses, has launched a federal lawsuit aimed at halting the proliferation of counterfeit goods. These knockoff items are reportedly being sold by anonymous bootleggers just outside the venues of pop singer Benson Boone’s ongoing “American Heart Tour,” posing a direct threat to the artist’s brand and legitimate sales. This legal action underscores the pervasive challenge of intellectual property infringement that plagues high-profile concert tours.

The claims of widespread counterfeiting emerged less than a week after Benson Boone, known for his dynamic stage presence and chart-topping sophomore album, commenced his world tour. Ceremony of Roses, which entered a strategic partnership with Sony in 2022 to manage official merchandise, is the exclusive retailer for the U.S. leg of Boone’s 30-date tour. The rapid appearance of unauthorized goods highlights the sophisticated networks often involved in such illegal operations, targeting popular music artists from the outset of their tours.

Filed on a Thursday in late August, the federal court lawsuit by Ceremony of Roses alleges that a multitude of unnamed individuals are actively distributing phony merchandise. The legal document asserts that without immediate court intervention, these bootleggers will continue their illicit activities, directly impacting the revenue and brand integrity of Benson Boone and his official partners. This legal response demonstrates the growing proactive measures being taken against merchandise disputes.

Central to the lawsuit is a plea for a legal injunction. If granted, this injunction would provide law enforcement agencies with the authority to intercede, seize, and impound any counterfeit merchandise found being sold. Such a powerful legal tool is crucial for combating the transient nature of tour bootlegging, where sellers often move quickly from one concert location to the next, making enforcement challenging.

Further substantiating the allegations, the lawsuit includes a detailed declaration from Ceremony of Roses’ touring vice president, who provided compelling evidence of the illicit sales. This declaration meticulously outlines specific instances where merchandise bootleggers were observed operating outside Boone’s shows in various cities, including St. Paul, Chicago, Columbus, and Detroit during the preceding week, confirming a systematic pattern of infringement across the concert tours.

The touring VP also highlighted the operational tactics employed by these unauthorized sellers. “Individual bootleggers follow tours, or arrange to have local individuals sell the infringing merchandise for them,” the declaration states, revealing how these operations are often organized. It further notes that many counterfeit designs mimic official tour merchandise, often featuring tour dates and venues, a clear indicator of their intent to travel with the tour to maximize illegal sales and profit from artist protection efforts.

This case mirrors similar legal battles currently unfolding within the music industry. Notably, a nearly identical lawsuit was filed earlier in the same week by fellow merchandise retailer Merch Traffic, represented by the same legal counsel as Ceremony of Roses. Merch Traffic also alleged widespread bootlegging of fake merchandise outside another artist’s “Miss Possessive” tour, underscoring a broader, industry-wide challenge with intellectual property theft during live events.

Such merchandise disputes are a recurrent and significant problem in the live music landscape. Official merchandise retailers frequently seek and obtain court injunctions against knockoff sellers, with past successful actions against bootleggers at the tours of numerous prominent artists. These legal battles are essential for protecting the significant investments made in artist branding, legitimate merchandise production, and ensuring fair revenue streams for the artists and their partners.