Thursday, August 20, 2026
Page 3
L.A. Merchandising Company Seeks to Block Unauthorized Sales of Harry Styles Goods
By a MetNews Staff Writer
|
A Los Angeles company with the exclusive right to manufacture and sell T-shirts, jackets, and other merchandise featuring the name and likeness of flamboyant English singer/songwriter/actor Harry Styles has brought suit against 200 persons and a company—but doesn’t know who it’s suing.
It does know what it wants the court to do: block the sale of illicit goods in the area of Styles’s 30 concerts at New York’s Madison Square Garden during the period from Aug. 26 through Oct. 31.
Named as defendants in a complaint filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York are 100 John Does, 100 Jane Does and the fictitiously named “XYZ Company.” Suit was brought by Merch Traffic, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company headquartered in Los Angeles’s West Adams District.
Content of Complaint
The pleading sets forth (with paragraph numbering omitted): “Defendants, also known as ‘Bootleggers,’ 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 the Residency Concerts, before, during and after their performances.
“The Infringing Merchandise is of the same general appearance as Plaintiff’s Authorized Merchandise or contains the Artist’s Trademarks, and is likely to cause confusion among prospective purchasers. Defendants’ Infringing Merchandise is not authorized by the Artist or Plaintiff. Further, the Infringing Merchandise that Defendants sell is generally of inferior quality. The sale of such merchandise has injured and is likely to injure the reputation of the Artist which has developed by virtue of his performances and the reputation of the Plaintiff for high quality Authorized Merchandise.
“The aforesaid acts by Defendants and others are likely to cause the purchasing public to believe that the sale of such Infringing Merchandise is authorized, sponsored or approved by the Artist and/or Plaintiff and that such Infringing Merchandise is subject to the same quality control and regulation required by the Artist and/or Plaintiff, despite the fact that this is not true.”
Relief Sought
The complaint seeks an order enjoining such activity on the part of the Does and XYZ. It asks “that this Court order the United States Marshal, the local and state police or sheriff, off duty officers of the same, authorized agents of Plaintiff, and/or any persons acting under their supervision to seize and impound any and all Infringing Merchandise which the Defendants attempt to sell or distribute within or in the vicinity of the Artist’s Residency Concerts.”
The case is Merch Traffic, LLC v. Does 1-100, 1:26cv7030. Serving as local counsel is Cara R. Burns of the Laguna Niguel firm of Mims, Kaplan, Burns & Garretson. Merch is also represented by Brooklyn lawyer Mark Bradford.
Copyright 2026, Metropolitan News Company