What changed between these versions
A substantive expansion of consumer protection measures. V2 adds a new prohibition in Section 4, preventing secondary market ticket issuers and exchanges from using venue names in their website URLs without authorization. A corresponding definition for "URL" is added in Section 8 to support this new provision.
Overview
A small number of targeted changes. · V2 expands consumer protection requirements for secondary market ticket sellers by adding a new restriction on online branding practices.
The primary change in v2 is the addition of a new prohibition in Section 4(3) preventing secondary market ticket issuers and exchanges from using venue names in their website URLs without explicit authorization. This aims to prevent consumer confusion regarding official affiliations. A new definition for "URL" was also added in Section 8 to support this specific provision. The core requirements for all-inclusive pricing, speculative ticketing bans, and refund policies remain unchanged.
Major additions
This new provision prohibits secondary market ticket issuers or exchanges from including the name of a venue, including any misspellings of such name, in their domain name or any subdomain of their website's URL, unless they have explicit authorization from the owner of the venue.
This addition aims to prevent consumer deception by ensuring that secondary market ticket platforms cannot misleadingly imply affiliation or endorsement by a venue through their website's address. It creates a new legal restriction on how these entities can brand their online presence, enhancing transparency for consumers.
This new definition clarifies that the term "URL" means the uniform resource locator associated with an internet website.
This definition is crucial for the enforceability and clarity of the new prohibition in Section 4(3), ensuring a clear understanding of what constitutes a "URL" in the context of the bill's restrictions on secondary market ticket sellers.
Scope
Meaningful expansion or narrowing — Changes are concentrated in one specific section (Section 4) and a related definition (Section 8). — V2 represents a refinement and expansion of consumer protection within the existing policy direction, specifically targeting deceptive online practices related to venue affiliation. — The new definition of "URL" in Section 8(12) directly interacts with and clarifies the scope of the new prohibition introduced in Section 4(3).
Impact analysis
Secondary market ticket issuers and secondary market ticket exchanges
Restrictive; they lose the ability to use venue names in URLs without permission, which may impact their marketing strategies.
These entities are now explicitly prohibited from using venue names in their website domain names or subdomains without express authorization from the venue owner.
Consumers purchasing event tickets, particularly from secondary markets
Beneficial; they gain clearer information and reduced risk of confusion regarding the official status of ticket sellers.
Consumers gain additional protection against deceptive practices where secondary market sellers might misleadingly imply official affiliation with a venue through their website's URL.
Venue owners
Beneficial; they gain more control and protection for their branding and intellectual property.
Venue owners gain greater control over the use of their venue names in the online branding of secondary ticket markets, requiring their authorization for such use in URLs.