United States: a new bill to control ticketing introduced in the House of Representatives

A bill "to protect consumers from unfair and deceptive acts and practices in connection with primary and secondary ticket sales" was introduced in the US House of Representatives by two New Jersey Democrats, Bill Pascrell Jr and Frank Pallone Jr, on 24/05/2023. Entitled the "Boss and Swift Act of 2023", the bill aims to improve "transparency" in ticket marketing, distribution and pricing.

In particular, the Bill requires ticket vendors, resellers and marketplaces to "clearly and conspicuously" state the full price of the ticket when the order is placed, "from the first time a ticket price is displayed and anytime thereafter". It also expects customers to be clearly informed whether a ticket is being offered for sale or resale. It also wants the guarantee or refund policy to be clearly stipulated before the sale of a ticket is concluded.

The bill deals specifically with the ticket resale market, and notably proposes to regulate ticket refunds if the ticket does not correspond to the description provided to the purchaser at the time of purchase.

"For decades, the ticket market has been…