protecting consumers and businesses by cracking down on ticket bots
2015 LEGISLATIVE SESSION: ATTORNEY GENERAL REQUEST LEGISLATION
PROTECTING CONSUMERS AND BUSINESSES BY CRACKING DOWN ON TICKET BOTS OBJECTIVE Outlaw malicious “ticket bot” software that hurts consumers and theatres.
PROBLEM “Ticket bots” help users gain an unfair advantage and quickly bypass online security efforts when buying tickets to sports and entertainment events, and unfairly drive up prices. Ticket bots are software programs that simulate the action of human beings in order to circumvent security measures and access controls put in place by ticket sellers. Such software enables unscrupulous individuals to keep the best seats for themselves and sell the rest at an inflated value on the secondary market, forcing consumers to often pay three to four times the value of a ticket. 1
BACKGROUND
The Consumer Protection Division of the Washington State Attorney General’s Office has received numerous complaints about ticket bots from both consumers and businesses. On May 21, 2014, King 5 aired a story about ticket bots on the popular “Get Jesse” segment. The story quoted Ngai Kwan, ticketing manager for the Seattle Theatre Group: “They are grabbing as many seats as they can, hoarding them for themselves and picking and choosing the good ones. It’s like gillnetting. They’re getting everything and we can’t stop them.” 2 According to the Seattle Theatre Group, as much as 20% of the inventory for some shows is being purchased by bots. 3 In September 2013, California Governor Jerry Brown signed bipartisan legislation banning the use of ticket bots in California. 4 Oregon and New Jersey have also banned ticket bots. 5
Office of the Attorney General
BOB FERGUSON
1125 Washington St. SE PO Box 40100 Olympia, WA 98504 360-753-6200 www.atg.wa.gov
OFFICE CONTACTS: Mike Webb Legislative Affairs Director [email protected] 206-464-7744
Travis Alley Veterans Outreach Specialist [email protected] 206-464-6431 Ellen Austin Hall Policy Analyst [email protected] 206-389-3856
Rebecca Podszus Program Specialist [email protected] 360-586-2683
SUPPORT
REPRESENTATIVES Van De Wege (prime), Carlyle, Fey, Fitzgibbon, Goodman, Gregerson, Holy, Jinkins, Kirby, Klippert, Lytton, Morris, Orwall, Riccelli, Ryu, Sawyer, Stanford, Tarleton
LEGISLATION (HB 1091)
This legislation bans the use of ticket bots. With this legislation, anyone using or selling software to circumvent, thwart, interfere with, or evade any security measure or access control system on a ticket seller’s website is violating the state Consumer Protection Act.
1. http://www.king5.com/news/getjesse/Computer-bots-limit-event-ticketsfor-fans-260205961.html 2. http://www.king5.com/news/getjesse/Computer-bots-limit-event-ticketsfor-fans-260205961.html 3. Email from Tory Weimer, Seattle Theatre Group.
4. http://www.nj.com/entertainment/ index.ssf/2013/09/california_adopts_ law_banning_ticket_buyers_from_using_ computer_bots_to_cut_in_linehat.html 5. http://www.ticketnews.com/news/ Oregon-moves-closer-to-prohibitingticket-software-bots509123
updated: 1-16-15
PROTECTING CONSUMERS AND BUSINESSES BY CRACKING DOWN ON TICKET BOTS OBJECTIVE Outlaw malicious “ticket bot” software that hurts consumers and theatres.
PROBLEM “Ticket bots” help users gain an unfair advantage and quickly bypass online security efforts when buying tickets to sports and entertainment events, and unfairly drive up prices. Ticket bots are software programs that simulate the action of human beings in order to circumvent security measures and access controls put in place by ticket sellers. Such software enables unscrupulous individuals to keep the best seats for themselves and sell the rest at an inflated value on the secondary market, forcing consumers to often pay three to four times the value of a ticket. 1
BACKGROUND
The Consumer Protection Division of the Washington State Attorney General’s Office has received numerous complaints about ticket bots from both consumers and businesses. On May 21, 2014, King 5 aired a story about ticket bots on the popular “Get Jesse” segment. The story quoted Ngai Kwan, ticketing manager for the Seattle Theatre Group: “They are grabbing as many seats as they can, hoarding them for themselves and picking and choosing the good ones. It’s like gillnetting. They’re getting everything and we can’t stop them.” 2 According to the Seattle Theatre Group, as much as 20% of the inventory for some shows is being purchased by bots. 3 In September 2013, California Governor Jerry Brown signed bipartisan legislation banning the use of ticket bots in California. 4 Oregon and New Jersey have also banned ticket bots. 5
Office of the Attorney General
BOB FERGUSON
1125 Washington St. SE PO Box 40100 Olympia, WA 98504 360-753-6200 www.atg.wa.gov
OFFICE CONTACTS: Mike Webb Legislative Affairs Director [email protected] 206-464-7744
Travis Alley Veterans Outreach Specialist [email protected] 206-464-6431 Ellen Austin Hall Policy Analyst [email protected] 206-389-3856
Rebecca Podszus Program Specialist [email protected] 360-586-2683
SUPPORT
REPRESENTATIVES Van De Wege (prime), Carlyle, Fey, Fitzgibbon, Goodman, Gregerson, Holy, Jinkins, Kirby, Klippert, Lytton, Morris, Orwall, Riccelli, Ryu, Sawyer, Stanford, Tarleton
LEGISLATION (HB 1091)
This legislation bans the use of ticket bots. With this legislation, anyone using or selling software to circumvent, thwart, interfere with, or evade any security measure or access control system on a ticket seller’s website is violating the state Consumer Protection Act.
1. http://www.king5.com/news/getjesse/Computer-bots-limit-event-ticketsfor-fans-260205961.html 2. http://www.king5.com/news/getjesse/Computer-bots-limit-event-ticketsfor-fans-260205961.html 3. Email from Tory Weimer, Seattle Theatre Group.
4. http://www.nj.com/entertainment/ index.ssf/2013/09/california_adopts_ law_banning_ticket_buyers_from_using_ computer_bots_to_cut_in_linehat.html 5. http://www.ticketnews.com/news/ Oregon-moves-closer-to-prohibitingticket-software-bots509123
updated: 1-16-15
