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New England Patriots Win Again against StubHub
The NFL’s New England Patriots have obtained a court order requiring StubHub (a popular website through which individuals can buy and sell tickets for sporting events, concerts, etc.) to deliver the names of all StubHub members who have bought or sold (or have tried to buy or sell) Patriots tickets. As a result, StubHub has turned over about 13,000 names to the Patriots.
The court order arises out of a lawsuit by the Patriots against StubHub claiming that the ticket-trading website encourages football fans to break state laws and violate team policies. The Patriots’ rules prohibit the resale of game tickets for profit, and this restriction is clearly printed on each ticket. A seldom-enforced state law also limits reselling tickets for more than a $2 mark-up. The Patriots claim that StubHub is inducing violations of these rules (Patriots tickets have been posted on StubHub for far more than face value).
StubHub resisted disclosing the requested information on the grounds that such disclosure would be a violation of StubHub’s confidentiality obligations to its members, and that the Patriots wanted the information to create a monopoly on the resale market for their tickets. However, the Superior Court Judge held that the Patriots have a “legitimate interest” in knowing the identity of those selling Patriots tickets through StubHub.
The Patriots have not yet stated what they plan to do with the 13,000 names. In the past, the Patriots have revoked tickets of fans who have attempted to resell the tickets on any Internet site other than the Patriots’ own site.
For additional information, visit:
http://www.siliconvalley.com/news/ci_7222132