Ars Technica: Using software bots to buy concert tickets will soon be illegal, thanks to a bill passed by Congress yesterday.
The Better Online Ticket Sales (BOTS) Act makes it illegal to bypass any computer security system designed to limit ticket sales to concerts, Broadway musicals, and other public events with a capacity of more than 200 persons. Violations will be treated as "unfair or deceptive acts" and can be prosecuted by the Federal Trade Commission or the states.
1 comment:
Alas. This is a bummer to whoever does not intend to abuse the convenience of buying tickets online. I believe most of the people enjoy online ticket purchasing because they don’t have to go to the box office, and wait in the sometimes unbearably long line; or they want to see a show in another city. Buying ticket over the phone is also an option but you are still in a passive situation where you still have to wait in line. People like buying online because they can take control over when and how without having to wait. They can decide they want to buy a ticket now for the next Thursday’s show at this theatre and they can do it right away. However, some smell the opportunity in it, and take advantage of the online purchase. They would aim at popular shows, buy lots of tickets early, and resell them at a much higher price. I appreciate the effort to discourage this horrible deed. However, setting a cap of 200 capacities for every public events sounds alarming. I wonder if it may have an impact on the ticket sales for shows with more than 200 capacities but are not that popular as the Hamilton.
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