SIAE wins court judgment on Coldplay tickets

Italian collection society SIAE has won a court order to prevent the resale of tickets to Coldplay’s shows in Milan next July.

There was widespread outrage over the number of tickets for the two concerts, at the San Siro stadium (80,000-cap.) on 3 and 4 July, that immediately appeared on secondary sites, leading to legal complaints by consumer groups and, eventually, the banning altogether of secondary ticketing in Italy.

The budget law amendment outlawing secondary ticketing is expected to be passed by the end of January 2017, but the ruling by a Rome court brings the prohibition forward for the Coldplay concerts, even applying retroactively to tickets “previously bought on Seatwave, Ticketbis and Viagogo by computer programs able to circumvent the maximum limit of tickets sold to each consumer”, says a statement from SIAE (Italian Society of Authors and Publishers, Società Italiana degli Autori ed Editori).

“We are very pleased with the positive outcome. This is an important step towards combating secondary ticketing”

Anyone caught contravening the judgment faces a fine of €2,000 per ticket resold.

“We are very pleased with the positive outcome,” says SIAE director-general Gaetano Blandini. “This is an important step towards combating secondary ticketing, both for consumers and for all authors, holders of intellectual property rights and those working in the field.”

Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.

Read More Like This

News|02 Apr 2024

CTS Eventim wins race to acquire See Tickets

The German live entertainment behemoth will also take control of Vivendi's festival division, which includes 11 events

News|28 Mar 2024

Coldplay set to become first band to net $1bn tour

The Music of the Spheres run is on track to follow The Eras Tour by grossing more than $1 billion in revenue