The Federal Trade Commission and seven states sued Live Nation and Ticketmaster on Thursday, alleging the companies worked with ticket brokers in the secondary market. The lawsuit claims the companies enabled scalpers to purchase beyond their advertised ticket purchasing limits, allowing for the resale of tickets at steep markups far above face value. The lawsuit follows a similar move last year by the Department of Justice .

In the lawsuit, filed in federal court in California on Thursday and reviewed by Variety , the FTC further alleged Ticketmaster — which is fully owned by Live Nation Entertainment — wrongfully engaged in a “bait-and-switch” between artists and consumers through advertising lower prices.

“Defendants have reaped massive profits by misrepresenting the total p

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