Ban on Hannah Montana Virtual Line-Cutters
Commercial resellers can’t use computer software to cut in line ahead of ordinary fans competing for tickets to Hannah Montana concerts, a federal judge has ruled.
An upcoming tour by the star who plays Montana in the Disney Channel television show has ignited a frenzy of fan interest unprecedented since the era of the Beatles and Elvis Presley. Seeing commercial purchasers snap up huge blocks of tickets with the help of computer programs in order to resell the tickets to fans at prices of as much as thousands of dollars each, has led to complaints and lawsuits. Yesterday U.S. District Judge Audrey Collins issued a preliminary injunction prohibiting the practice, reports Reuters.
Her ruling against Pittsburgh-based software maker RMG Technologies was made in a case brought by Ticketmaster, an authorized seller of tickets to the 54 concerts by Montana (aka in real life, Miley Cyrus, 14, daughter of country singer Billy Ray Cyrus). Ticketmaster says RMG’s software allowed commercial sellers to become virtual line-cutters, rapidly and repeatedly gaining access to Ticketmaster’s online box office ahead of individuals seeking concert seats.
It isn’t clear how the ruling will help Hannah Montana fans now, since most if not all tickets to the concert tour, which begins Thursday in St. Louis, are already sold. However, it appears that the judge’s ruling might help prevent similar practices in other upcoming events.
Collins’ order stems from a suit Tickemaster filed against RMG in April, before the Hannah Montana tickets went on sale.
