HYBE, the South Korean label behind BTS, has filed a US lawsuit seeking a nationwide injunction to stop the sale of counterfeit merchandise outside stadiums hosting the band's "ARIRANG" world tour. The complaint, lodged in New Jersey federal court on 10 July, argues that bootleg sellers have already targeted several tour stops and would continue to do so at forthcoming shows without court intervention, undermining HYBE's official merchandising operations.

The lawsuit alleges bootleggers have sold fake t-shirts, posters and other items resembling official products but of inferior quality at stadiums in Tampa, El Paso, Stanford and Las Vegas since the tour began in April. BTS returns to the US on 1 August at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, with further dates including Chicago and Los Angeles, and an injunction would let HYBE seize and destroy counterfeit goods at these venues. Such legal action is common practice among major touring artists, and HYBE previously won similar injunctions in 2019 and 2021; the ARIRANG tour itself has already grossed a combined $204 million in April and May, setting a monthly record for a group act.