STATE OF NEW JERSEY
218th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2018 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Senator NICHOLAS P. SCUTARI
District 22 (Middlesex, Somerset and Union)
SYNOPSIS
Prohibits certain violations of terms of service for Internet ticket sales.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act concerning certain ticket sales and supplementing P.L.1983, c.135 (C.56:8-26 et seq.).
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. It shall be a violation of P.L.1983, c.135 (C.56:8-26 et seq.) for a person to use or cause to be used:
a. Any means, method, or technology that is designed, intended, or functions to disguise the identity of the purchaser with the purpose of purchasing or attempting to purchase via Internet sale a quantity of tickets to a place of entertainment in excess of authorized limits established by the owner or operator of a place of entertainment or of the entertainment event or an agent of any such person; or
b. Software, or other technology or device, that is designed, intended, or functions to interfere with a computer, computer network, or computer system, or any part thereof, for the purpose of purchasing or attempting to purchase via Internet sale a quantity of tickets to a place of entertainment in excess of authorized limits established by the owner or operator of a place of entertainment or of the entertainment event or an agent of any such person, or that is designed, intended or functions to circumvent or disable any access control systems, electronic queues, waiting periods or other sales volume limitation systems to ensure the equitable distribution of tickets instituted on the website of the ticket seller.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill supplements the law regarding ticket sales and resales in New Jersey. The bill prohibits the use of computer programs, commonly referred to as "ticket bots," that are used to circumvent controls on ticket seller websites, which controls require users to disclose their identity and comply with equitable distribution procedures, such as electronic queues and limitations on ticket quantity. Many Internet ticket sellers currently require users to agree to terms of service which prohibit the use of ticket bots, but violations are not specifically addressed in State law.
Specifically, the bill prohibits the use of any means, method or technology that disguises the identity of the purchaser with the purpose of purchasing, via Internet sale, a quantity of tickets to a place of entertainment in excess of authorized limits. Additionally, the bill prohibits the use of software that interferes with a computer system for the purpose of purchasing, via Internet sale, a quantity of tickets to a place of entertainment in excess of authorized limits or that is designed to disable any access control systems, electronic queues, waiting periods or other sales volume limitation systems to ensure the equitable distribution of tickets instituted on the website of the ticket seller.
A violation of the ticket sale law, which this bill supplements, is a crime of the fourth degree, punishable by up to 18 months imprisonment, up to a $10,000 fine, or both.