Pop star Justin Timberlake has spoken out to clarify the title of his new single ‘Take Back the Night’ following complaints from an anti-sexual assault organization that bares the same name.

Activists at Take Back the Night, which works to raise money and awareness for female victims of sexual abuse, reprimanded the singer for using the group's name without permission just hours after the track was released on Friday.

Director Katherine Koestner tells RadarOnline.com, “We sent him a letter Friday from our legal counsel saying ‘You used our name without our permission.’ They got back to us and said they’re sorry.

“His agent said, ‘Justin’s a good guy! He’s a family man!’ They claimed he’d never heard of us before he wrote that song. I don't know what country he's been in. I suppose it could have slipped off his radar screen somehow. Somebody working for him definitely messed up... because normally, we get asked when people want to use the name.”

And it didn't help that Timberlake’s lyrics were so provocative and suggestive: “The lyrics are definitely very sexual and not at all clearly anti-sexual violence. ‘Use me,’ for example, is not a great phrase for anyone affiliated with the organisation. All of a sudden on (encyclopedia website) Wikipedia, Take Back the Night has a different definition. That's not been helpful.”

However, the Mirrors hitmaker insists he never intended to offend the group, stating, “I wanted to take this opportunity to let all know that neither my song nor its lyrics have any association with the organization. As I’ve learned more about the Take Back the Night Foundation, I’m moved by its efforts to stop violence against women, create safe communities and encourage respectful relationships for women - something we all should rally around. It is my hope that this coincidence will bring more awareness to this cause.”