event, the date and time of the purchase of the 
ticket by the secondary ticket seller; and 
(D) the number or identifier assigned to 
them pursuant to section 4(b). 
(4) A requirement that an online resale market-
place post clear and conspicuous notice on the 
website of such online resale marketplace that the 
website is for the secondary sale of tickets and a re-
quirement that the user confirm having read such 
notice before starting any transaction. 
(5) A prohibition on the resale of a ticket by an 
individual employee of any venue, primary ticket 
seller, artist, online resale marketplace, or box office 
that is involved in hosting, promoting, performing 
in, or selling tickets if such resale— 
(A) is for a higher price than face value of 
the ticket; or 
(B) is made to any third party and the em-
ployee has actual knowledge, or knowledge fair-
ly implied on the basis of objective cir-
cumstances, that the third party intends to sell 
the ticket for a higher price than face value of 
the ticket. 
(6) A requirement that an online resale market-
place disclose to the consumer when the secondary 
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ticket seller of a ticket is the primary ticket seller, 
venue, or artist associated with the event to which 
the ticket relates. 
SEC. 4. REGISTRATION OF SECONDARY TICKET SELLERS 
AND ONLINE RESALE MARKETPLACES. 
(a) REGISTRATION REQUIRED.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Beginning on the date on 
which final regulations are promulgated pursuant to 
sections 2 and 3, a secondary ticket seller may not 
engage in, and an online resale marketplace may not 
permit the use of the marketplace for, the resale of 
tickets to events unless the secondary ticket seller or 
the online resale marketplace (as the case may be) 
registers with the Federal Trade Commission under 
this section. 
(2) REGISTRATION INFORMATION.—When reg-
istering with the Federal Trade Commission under 
paragraph (1), a secondary ticket seller or an online 
resale marketplace (as the case may be) shall pro-
vide a viable street address, telephone number, and 
email address for the secondary ticket seller or the 
online resale marketplace (as the case may be) to 
the Commission. 
(3) ANNUAL UPDATES.—Any secondary ticket 
seller or online resale marketplace registered with 
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the Federal Trade Commission under paragraph (1) 
shall verify the accuracy of the information required 
under paragraph (2) not less frequently than annu-
ally. 
(b) REGISTRATION NUMBER.—The Federal Trade 
Commission shall assign a unique number or other identi-
fier to each secondary ticket seller and each online resale 
marketplace that registers with the Commission under 
subsection (a)(1). 
SEC. 5. ENFORCEMENT. 
(a) FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION.—A violation of a 
rule prescribed pursuant to section 2 or 3 or a violation 
of section 4(a)(1) shall be treated as a violation of a rule 
defining an unfair or deceptive act or practice prescribed 
under section 18(a)(1)(B) of the Federal Trade Commis-
sion Act (15 U.S.C. 57a(a)(1)(B)). The Federal Trade 
Commission shall enforce this Act in the same manner, 
by the same means, and with the same jurisdiction as 
though all applicable terms and provisions of the Federal 
Trade Commission Act were incorporated into and made 
a part of this Act. 
(b) STATE ATTORNEYS GENERAL.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para-
graph (6), in any case in which the attorney general 
of a State has reason to believe that an interest of 
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the residents of that State has been or is threatened 
or adversely affected by the engagement of any per-
son in a practice that violates a rule prescribed 
under section 2 or 3, the State, as parens patriae, 
may bring a civil action on behalf of the residents 
of the State in an appropriate district court of the 
United States or other court of competent jurisdic-
tion to— 
(A) enjoin that practice; 
(B) enforce compliance with the rule; 
(C) obtain damages, restitution, or other 
compensation on behalf of residents of the 
State; 
(D) obtain penalties provided for under 
section 2(b); and 
(E) obtain such other relief as the court 
may consider to be appropriate. 
(2) NOTICE.—The State shall serve written no-
tice to the Commission of any civil action under 
paragraph (1) at least 60 days prior to initiating 
such civil action. The notice shall include a copy of 
the complaint to be filed to initiate such civil action, 
except that if it is not feasible for the State to pro-
vide such prior notice, the State shall provide notice 
immediately upon instituting such civil action. 
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(3) INTERVENTION
BY
FTC.—Upon receiving 
the notice required by paragraph (2), the Commis-
sion may intervene in such civil action and upon in-
tervening— 
(A) be heard on all matters arising in such 
civil action; 
(B) remove the action to the appropriate 
United States district court; and 
(C) file petitions for appeal of a decision in 
such civil action. 
(4) SAVINGS
CLAUSE.—Nothing in this sub-
section shall prevent the attorney general of a State 
from exercising the powers conferred on the attorney 
general by the laws of such State to conduct inves-
tigations or to administer oaths or affirmations or to 
compel the attendance of witnesses or the production 
of documentary and other evidence. Nothing in this 
section shall prohibit the attorney general of a State, 
or other authorized State officer, from proceeding in 
State or Federal court on the basis of an alleged vio-
lation of any civil or criminal statute of that State. 
(5) VENUE; SERVICE OF PROCESS; JOINDER.— 
In a civil action brought under paragraph (1)— 
(A) the venue shall be a judicial district in 
which the defendant or a related party is found, 
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is an inhabitant, or transacts business, or wher-
ever venue is proper under section 1391 of title 
28, United States Code; 
(B) process may be served without regard 
to the territorial limits of the district or of the 
State in which the civil action is instituted; and 
(C) a person who participated with a de-
fendant or related party in an alleged violation 
that is being litigated in the civil action may be 
joined in the civil action without regard to the 
residence of the person. 
(6) PREEMPTIVE ACTION BY FTC.—Whenever a 
civil action or an administrative action has been in-
stituted by or on behalf of the Commission for viola-
tion of any rule described under paragraph (1), no 
State may, during the pendency of such action insti-
tuted by or on behalf of the Commission, institute 
a civil action under paragraph (1) against any de-
fendant named in the complaint in such action for 
violation of any rule as alleged in such complaint. 
(7) AWARD OF COSTS AND FEES.—If a State 
prevails in any civil action under paragraph (1), the 
State can recover reasonable costs and attorney fees 
from the lender or related party. 
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SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS. 
As used in this Act the following definitions apply: 
(1) The term ‘‘ancillary charges’’ means service 
fees, convenience charges, parking fees, and other 
charges associated with the purchase of a ticket and 
not included in the base price of the ticket. 
(2) The term ‘‘base price’’ means the price 
charged for a ticket other than any ancillary 
charges. 
(3) The term ‘‘box office’’ means a physical lo-
cation where tickets are offered for primary sale. 
(4) The term ‘‘bundled series tickets’’ means 
packages of tickets for multiple events that are part 
of the same entertainment series. 
(5) The term ‘‘distribution method’’ means the 
manner in which a primary ticket seller distributes 
tickets to a particular event, whether through pri-
mary sale, limited pre sale promotions, donations to 
charity, reservations of season ticket holders, or allo-
cated to the primary ticket seller, artist, or venue. 
(6) The term ‘‘face value’’ means the total price 
of a ticket including both the base price and any an-
cillary charges. 
(7) The term ‘‘primary sale’’, with regards to a 
ticket, means the initial sale of a ticket that has not 
been sold previous to such sale, by a primary ticket 
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seller to the general public on or after the date ad-
vertised such sale. 
(8) The term ‘‘primary ticket seller’’ means an 
owner or operator of a venue or a sports team, a 
manager or provider of an event, or a provider of 
ticketing services (or an agent of such owner, oper-
ator, manager, or provider) that engages in the pri-
mary sale of tickets for an event or retains the au-
thority to otherwise distribute tickets. 
(9) The terms ‘‘resale’’ or ‘‘secondary sale’’, 
with regards to a ticket, mean any sale of a ticket 
that occurs after the initial sale of the ticket. 
(10) The term ‘‘ticket’’ means a ticket of ad-
mission to a sporting event, theater, musical per-
formance, or place of public amusement of any kind. 
(11) The term ‘‘online resale marketplace’’ 
means an Internet website— 
(A) that facilitates or enables the resale of 
tickets by secondary ticket sellers; or 
(B) on which secondary ticket sellers offer 
tickets for resale. 
(12) The term ‘‘secondary ticket seller’’ means 
a person engaged in reselling tickets for an event 
and who charges a premium in excess of the face 
value. Such term does not include an individual who 
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resells fewer than 25 tickets during any 1-year pe-
riod. 
SEC. 7. NONPREEMPTION. 
Nothing in this Act shall affect the authority of any 
State or local government to establish or continue in effect 
a provision of law of the State or local government relating 
to the regulation of the resale of tickets to events or the 
pricing of such tickets for resale, except to the extent that 
such provision is inconsistent with this Act or a regulation 
promulgated under this Act, and then only to the extent 
of the inconsistency. A provision of law of a State or local 
government is not inconsistent with this Act or a regula-
tion promulgated under this Act if such provision provides 
equal or greater protection to consumers than the protec-
tion provided under this Act or such regulation. 
Æ 
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