New Jersey rock star Bruce Springsteen is suing Midtown bar Connolly's on West 45th Street for copyright infringement over an August 2008 cover band performance.
The claim said the unidentified band played three songs -- "Growin' Up," "Because the Night" and "You're No Good" -- and should have paid royalty fees. "You're No Good" was written by Clinton Ballard, Jr., who is a co-plaintiff in the case.
The Daily News reports the bar should have paid $2,700 in licensing fees to the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers, and now may face a fine up to $30,000, according to ASCAP senior vice president for licensing Vincent Candilora.
When reached, Connolly's declined to comment. Perhaps the bar may have simply been "Dancing in the Dark" when it came to licensing fees.
The ASCAP Web site states a license is needed to legally have a "public performance," which "occurs either in a public place or any place where the people gather (other than a small circle of a family or its social acquaintances)."
A 2009 Forbes report lists Springsteen as the richest male musician, with a net worth of $70 million dollars.
Candilora told the News the rock star filed the suit to level "the playing field for other bars in New York that do pay a licensing fee."
