New York AG Pitches Ticket Bot Bill
New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman proposed state legislation to add teeth to New York’s prohibition on ticket bots, illegal software used to quickly buy tickets on websites like Ticketmaster and resell them at a premium. Because of the bots,…
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events sell out quickly even though tickets have not been purchased by real people. Ticket bots are already illegal under New York’s Arts and Cultural Affairs Law, and earlier this week the AG won a $2.6 million settlement against five ticket brokers that used bots (see 1604270007). Schneiderman’s office said it “has found, however, that the use of ticket bots is widespread, and that the law should be strengthened to further deter their use.” Schneiderman proposed expanding the law’s scope to include additional types of ticket bots, prohibiting professional ticket resellers from selling or offering to sell tickets that they know have been illegally acquired using ticket bots, increasing the civil penalties for violations of the law, and making the use of ticket bots a criminal offense. “For too long, unscrupulous ticket brokers have used illegal bots to scoop up tickets for popular events, denying ordinary fans the chance to buy tickets at face value,” Schneiderman said. “By strengthening New York’s anti-ticket bot law, this bill will give fans a fairer shot at purchasing tickets to see their favorite performers.” While Schneiderman himself cannot introduce the bill, the office expects the bills to be assigned to members in each house of the New York State Legislature in the coming weeks.