Canada: Competition Bureau expands Ticketmaster investigation

Canada’s Competition Bureau has decided to expand its investigation into Ticketmaster to include probing the allegations of the company’s secret scalping program, according to the Toronto Star.

Additionally, Toronto law firm Sotos Class Actions has filed a CA$250 million (US$191.2 million) class action lawsuit against the company, accusing Ticketmaster of engaging in “false or misleading misrepresentations” that violate the Competition Act.

Canadian Minister for Innovation Navdeep Bains said in an interview on Wednesday, September 26, that he “did reach out to the Competition Bureau to really express my concerns I’ve heard from Canadians. We want to see that consumers are treated with respect and with transparency.”

The Bureau sued Ticketmaster in January accusing the company and its parent company Live Nation of using “deceptive marketing practices” that can increase ticket prices more than 60%.

Regarding the new allegations, a Bureau spokesperson said, “We are looking into the matter, and examining whether this type of conduct could fall within the Competition Act.”

Full Content: The Star