MIDTOWN WEST — Bruce Springsteen says that when it came it to a lawsuit naming him as a plaintiff against a W.45th Street bar, he was left dancing in the dark.
The Boss released a statement Thursday saying he said he had no idea the American Society of Composers, Publishers and Authors had used his name to sue Connolly's Pub and Restaurant over an alleged copyright infringement involving a cover band.
ASCAP had claimed that the pub had violated the copyright laws when management hired a cover band that sang "Because the Night" and "Growing Up" without applying for a $2,700 licensing fee for the lyrics. The band was not named in the lawsuit.
Springsteen claims ASCAP never contacted him about the legal fight.
"In regards to the ASCAP lawsuit against Connolly's Pub and Restaurant, ASCAP was solely responsible for naming Bruce Springsteen as a plaintiff in the lawsuit," he said on his Web site.
"Bruce Springsteen had no knowledge of this lawsuit, was not asked if he would participate as a named plaintiff, and would not have agreed to do so if he had been asked.
"Upon learning of this lawsuit this morning, Bruce Springsteen's representatives demanded the immediate removal of his name from the lawsuit."
