New York Legislature Passes A Raft Of New Secondary Market Rules

ALBANY, NY (CelebrityAccess) — Legislators in New York passed a new bill that takes aim at cracking down on perceived abuses in the world of secondary ticketing.

The bill, (S. 8501B), requires that online ticket sellers post a “clear and conspicuous” notice of all fees and surcharges associated with the ticket purchase and  make it clear that the website is a secondary market site and not a primary source for tickets.

Under the new bill, consumers will need to expressly confirm that they understand what they are purchasing before a transaction can occur and that resellers provide refunds to consumers who have not yet received a ticket or received a different ticket than was advertised.

Also included in the new bill are provisions that ban ticketing resale services from using deceptive domain names that contain the name of an event or venue, and it requires ticket brokers to post their license number for public view on websites.

The new legislation also takes aim at speculative ticket sales and bars brokers from selling tickets that they do not possess without first notifying the buyer.

As well, the law also extends current legislation that requires ticket resellers to have a license and bans ticket resales at or near large venues for another three years.

The new law also takes on season tickets for sports teams and authorizes sports organizations to offer membership passes to a specific number of events in a specified period of time at discounted prices

The legislation has also passed the Assembly and now heads to Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo (D)’s desk for signature before becoming law.

“New York is home to some of the world’s premier artists, performers, and sports teams. Fans deserve every opportunity to see them. This package is a major step forward for consumers and will help them navigate the often complicated process of ticket purchasing,” said Senator Terrence Murphy, a Republican who sponsored the bill.