The Federal Trade Commission and attorneys general representing seven states filed a lawsuit Thursday against Ticketmaster and its parent company, Live Nation Entertainment, alleging that the companies unlawfully coordinated with ticket brokers.

The lawsuit alleges that Ticketmaster allows brokers to buy tickets in bulk, despite rules the company adopted to limit the number of tickets one user can buy, so that both brokers and Ticketmaster can pocket extra profits when tickets are resold. For example, one broker purchased 772 tickets to a 2023 Coldplay concert for about $81,000 and then resold the same tickets for over $170,000, the complaint stated.

“Ticketmaster’s deceptive business tactics have left fans paying steep hidden fees and pushed them into expensive, secondary ticket markets

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