AXS launches lawsuit in bid to clamp down on alleged touting
Concert ticket platform AXS has launched a lawsuit in an attempt to clamp down on the activities of an alleged touting tool.
The company is in the process of suing SecureMyPass, which it alleges helps scammers take advantage of fans by allowing them to bypass security systems and create counterfeit tickets that they then sell.
In the lawsuit, launched last week in a federal court in Los Angeles, lawyers representing AXS accused SecureMyPass of “fraudulent practices”, referring to the fact that ticket touts are seemingly able to bypass digital encryption and transfer systems, which would ordinarily ensure the legitimacy of tickets being sold.
According to AXS, the false tickets look real and have working barcodes, but they have ultimately led fans to being denied entry at multiple high-profile gigs (per Billboard).
The company’s lawyers said: “Because these counterfeit tickets are not genuine AXS tickets, broker resellers may deliver multiple copies of the same ticket, defrauding customers who are turned away when their ticket has already been redeemed.”
They added: “Consumers, venues, artists and AXS alike are all harmed by SMP’s pernicious and fraudulent behaviour.”
In response to the claims, SecureMyPass told Billboard in a statement that it “disputes many of the allegations in AXS’s complaint and believes the lawsuit fundamentally mischaracterises both our business and the realities of the ticket resale market.”
It continued: “SecureMyPass helps brokers deliver tickets they already own to customers who paid for them. Any customer harm cited by AXS stems from enforcement choices made at the venue level, not from ticket validity.”
It comes as ticket reselling sites are largely being clamped down upon within an increasing number of both public and private cases. Most recently, in November last year, the UK government announced plans to make reselling tickets at inflated prices an illegal act.
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