UMG's Bravado Fights A$AP Rocky Merch Bootleggers on 'Don't Be Dumb' Tour

UMG’s Bravado targets A$AP Rocky merch bootleggers on ‘Don’t Be Dumb’ tour with trademark suit, seizure order

June 23, 2026 By Murray Stassen

Bravado , Universal Music Group’s merchandise and brand management division ,  has won a court order authorizing the seizure of counterfeit merchandise from bootleggers at A$AP Rocky ‘s concerts.

US District Judge Sim Lake signed a temporary restraining order and seizure order on Wednesday (June 17) in the Southern District of Texas (Houston Division), covering concerts on the rapper’s Don’t Be Dumb World Tour .

The order ( which you can see here ) applied to A$AP Rocky ‘s Toyota Center show in Houston on Saturday (June 20) and remains in effect pending a show-cause hearing on Wednesday (July 1), at which Bravado will seek a preliminary injunction covering the rest of the tour

It followed a trademark infringement complaint and ex parte application that Bravado filed on Thursday (June 11).

Bravado states in the complaint that it holds the exclusive right to use the A$AP Rocky trademarks on tour merchandise, pursuant to an agreement with the artist.

The lawsuit names John Does 1-100 , Jane Does 1-100 , and XYZ Company as defendants, described as individuals and entities “who are sued herein under fictitious names because their true names and capacities are unknown at this time.”

The complaint states that it “will be amended when their true names and capacities are ascertained.”

According to the filing, A$AP Rocky holds Federal Trademark Registration No. 7562837 for the A$AP Rocky mark, covering clothing, entertainment services, and musical sound recordings.

The complaint alleges that the defendants “will sell and distribute unauthorized, infringing T-shirts , jerseys, caps and/or other merchandise bearing any or all of the Artist’s Trademarks” in the vicinity of concerts on the tour.

“The Infringing Merchandise is of the same general appearance as Plaintiff ‘s Authorized Tour Merchandise and is likely to cause confusion among prospective purchasers,” the filing reads.

“The Infringing Merchandise sold by Defendants is generally of inferior quality.”

The complaint states that the sale of counterfeit goods is “likely to cause the purchasing public to believe that the sale and distribution of such Infringing Merchandise is authorized, sponsored or approved by the Artist and/or Plaintiff.”

It adds that such activity “also injures the Artist and Plaintiff in that Defendants do not have to pay any royalty for these unlawful sales.”

The lawsuit brings two causes of action: infringement of a registered trademark under 15 U.S.C. § 1114(b) , and false designation of origin under Section 43(a) of the Lanham Act.

Under the order , the defendants are temporarily restrained from making, distributing or selling merchandise bearing the A$AP Rocky trademarks.

It authorizes the US Marshal , state and local police, and Bravado’s agents to seize infringing goods “from three (3) hours before to three (3) hours after any performance of the tour.”

The seizure power covers a three-mile vicinity of the venues and reaches any district in which Bravado enforces the order.

It was conditioned on Bravado posting a $5,000 bond by Thursday (June 18), and on the company covering any fees charged by the law enforcement officers it uses.

At the July 1 hearing, the defendants can show cause why a preliminary injunction should not be granted, with any responsive papers due on Thursday (June 25).

Bravado had sought the relief in an ex parte application brought under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 65 , the Lanham Act, and the All Writs Act.

The application was supported by a declaration from Bravado’s Ashley Fogerty and a certificate from its counsel.

A supporting memorandum argued that “each sale of Infringing Merchandise by Defendants is an irrecoverably lost sale for Plaintiff.”

In its complaint, Bravado also seeks the destruction of all infringing merchandise and damages “in an amount to be determined.”

The lawsuit is the latest in a growing wave of anti-counterfeiting litigation across the music industry .

In April, HYBE filed a comparable complaint against unnamed bootleggers ahead of BTS ‘s US tour dates, while Live Nation subsidiary Merch Traffic filed a trademark infringement suit on behalf of Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band around the same time.

Sony ‘s merch venture Ceremony of Roses has also recently obtained court orders targeting bootleggers at Benson Boone and Dua Lipa concerts.

The surge in legal action reflects the growing financial importance of merchandise to the music business.

UMG ‘s  Bravado , the merch operation at the world’s largest music company, 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.

A$AP Rocky ‘s Don’t Be Dumb World Tour kicked off on Wednesday May 27 at the United Center in Chicago .

The 42 -date arena tour, promoted by Live Nation , spans North America and Europe and supports the rapper’s fourth studio album, Don’t Be Dumb , which debuted at No.1 on the Billboard 200 in January with 123,000 equivalent album units in its first week.

Bravado is represented in the case by Cara R. Burns of Mims, Kaplan, Burns & Garretson . Music Business Worldwide

_Originally reported by [Music Business Worldwide](https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/umgs-bravado-targets-aap-rocky-merch-bootleggers-on-dont-be-dumb-tour-with-trademark-suit-seizure-order/)._