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WENN -- Bruce Springsteen is taking legal action against the owners of a New York bar who allegedly failed to obtain permission to play The Boss' songs.

The "Born to Run" rocker filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Connolly's Pub & Restaurant on Wednesday, claiming the venue's bosses charged customers a fee to hear a band perform three of Springsteen's tracks in August 2008.

But the bar, on West 45th Street in Manhatttan, allegedly failed to pay an annual licensing fee to the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), according to the New York Daily News.

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ASCAP is responsible for collecting royalties and distributing the money to artists.

A spokesperson for the organisation claims Springsteen isn't suing for profit, but instead to protect the rights of composers.

The ASCAP Senior Vice President For Licensing, Vincent Candilora, explains, "It's not about him as a recording artist. In this instance, he's simply a songwriter with rights.
"We had been after them (Connolly's) for complying for over two years, so it's not so much about who or where. Why should those places that are complying with the law be at a competitive disadvantage?"

The band is said to have played three Springsteen songs at the summertime gig: "Growin' Up," "Because the Night" and "You're No Good."

The latter was written by Clinton Ballard Jr., a co-plaintiff in the case.