MAIN Event Ticketing Act

Summary#

This bill updates the Better Online Ticket Sales Act of 2016. It makes it illegal to use automated applications that buy event tickets by bypassing posted online purchasing rules or security measures. Ticket sellers that run websites or online services for ticket sales must put in access controls to enforce ticket limits and must maintain reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect the site and customer data.

The bill requires ticket sellers to oversee third-party service providers, to contractually require safeguards, and to periodically assess those providers. Ticket sellers must report known incidents of circumvention to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) within 30 days. The FTC must create a public consumer complaint website within 180 days and publish guidance for ticket sellers within 1 year. Ticket sellers must take reasonable steps to fix causes of circumvention when they learn about them.

The FTC may bring civil actions for violations, seek injunctive relief, and recover civil penalties. The bill sets minimum civil penalties: at least $10,000 per day for ongoing violations, at least $1,000 per violation, and an additional at-least $10,000 per violation for intentional violations. The bill also creates a process for the FTC to coordinate with the FBI, the Department of Justice, and state or local law enforcement about cyberattacks on ticketing site security. It requires the FTC to report to two congressional committees within 1 year about enforcement actions and any limits on enforcement. The bill adds a definition of "circumvention" to describe bypassing or impairing access controls or security measures.

What it means for you#

• If you buy event tickets: the bill aims to make it harder for automated tools to buy up tickets and to give a place to report violations to the FTC. It does not list specific consumer remedies beyond reporting.
• If you run a ticketing website or service: you must have access controls to enforce ticket limits, maintain reasonable security safeguards, oversee third-party vendors, report known circumvention incidents to the FTC, and take steps to address causes of circumvention. You could face civil penalties for violations.
• If you are a third-party service provider to a ticket seller: the ticket seller must require you to maintain adequate safeguards and may assess your security periodically.

Expenses#

No publicly available information on estimated government costs or budgetary effects is included in the bill text. The bill does specify civil penalty amounts to be imposed on violators.

Proponents' View#

No publicly available information on proponents' statements or arguments is included in the bill text or metadata provided.

Opponents' View#

No publicly available information on opponents' statements or arguments is included in the bill text or metadata provided.