StubHub files lawsuit against Warriors, Ticketmaster
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StubHub has filed a lawsuit against the Golden State Warriors and Ticketmaster, accusing the two parties of creating a monopoly in the resale ticket market, writes ESPN's Darren Rovell.
The suit alleges that the team has informed season ticket holders that should they resell their tickets through anything other than Ticketmaster's exchange, NBATickets.com, they will have their ticket privileges revoked. This included not being offered playoff tickets to the season in which they had already purchased season tickets or not being invited to purchase season tickets for next year.
Warriors ticket listings, which are in high demand due to the team's incredible success this season, are down 80 percent over the past year, according to StubHub. Ticketmaster and the Warriors have been working together since 2012, sharing fees, and Rovell's sources say the two have worked more closely together this season as the NBA-best Warriors, 60-13, dominate the NBA.
StubHub's lawyer Michelle Fang said:
We're not trying to be the industry pariah, but when actions like these are associated with the business impact that we've seen, and the outcry comes from fans who are saying "our hands are tied," we are left with no choice.
The suit suggests Ticketmaster's arrangement with the Warriors could become the norm with other teams, if allowed to continue:
If the anticompetitive actions complained herein are not stopped, Ticketmaster is likely to seek to replicate them with other teams. As a result, millions of Americans will be held captive to a monopoly secondary ticketing exchange.
StubHub believes this is an antitrust case, because the Warriors and Ticketmaster control the primary and secondary ticket market.
The Warriors refused to comment Sunday night.