Lawmakers, Big 12 Commissioner, work to stop ticket bots

Stubhub’s Cohen argued that bots are a persistent problem, but told the subcommittee that sites like Ticketmaster should be more upfront about how many tickets are actually being made available to the public. Richard BlumenthalRichard Blumenthal’Hamilton” producer, lawmakers call for prohibition of ticket “bots” Top GOP senator “confident’ of 9/11 bill veto override Top Senate Dems to Obama: Sign 9/11 bill MORE (D-Conn.). The bill empowers the Federal Trade Commission to consider a violation of this bill (to the extent it becomes law) as an unfair or deceptive act pursuant to Section 5 of the FTC Act. Scalpers often are to blame, using software known as ticket bots to scoop up seats by the thousands to mark up and sell again later. Each panelist placed a heavy emphasis on how bots exploit the relationship between the artist and the ticket-buying fan and argued that bots pull money out of the entertainment industry without contributing or investing in the artist or the music industry. The bill also prohibits contracts which transfer or require “an individual who is a party to the form contract to transfer to any person any intellectual property rights in review or feedback content, with the exception of a non-exclusive license to use the content, that the individual may have in any otherwise lawful covered communication about such person or the goods or services provided by such person”.

However, while bots are damaging, “there are a number of other issues that would need to be addressed to really tackle predatory resale practices”.

“When tickets go on sale, people should be competing with one another, and not ticket-hording software, to make a purchase”, says Gary Adler, the group’s executive director and counsel.

“They’re parasites, and have no skin in the game. I encourage my Senate colleagues to pass this bi-partisan legislation immediately”. There is little transparency about what is actually being put up for general sale…

“Scalpers have always been driving up ticket prices and harming consumers, but their methods are becoming increasingly sophisticated”, said Sen.

PerimeterX, the technology company that works to help companies protect themselves from bots or similar software attacks, also supports the legislation.