Federal Minister of Justice Hubig announces price cap for ticket resale market

Hubig announced that the federal government would „nicht auf Freiwilligkeit" rely, but rather „die Wiederverkaufsplattformen in die Verantwortung nehmen". Among other things, a price cap is planned that would limit the markup on resold tickets. With a new „protected" ticket, organizers are to be able to better regulate the secondary market in the future.

The minister also emphasized that she was not concerned with fans who want to sell their ticket „zu einem fairen Preis weiterverkaufen" because they are unable to attend. Her goal is explicitly „die Verhinderung von Abzocke". The Federal Minister of Justice told Web.de, according to a report from Tuesday, that enforcing the law against platforms based outside the EU is „anspruchsvoll – aber sie ist nicht unmöglich".

International models

Back in May, the Association of Independent Music Creators Pro Musik and the Federal Association of the Concert and Event Industry had called on the federal government to take action against „Wucher und Betrug" on the ticket resale market. Athletes, artists, and organizers also suffer from the inflated prices, Hubig added.

International models for stricter rules already exist: In Belgium and Italy, comparable protective regulations are in place. In Great Britain, the original price, seat number, and seller identity must be clearly indicated on the secondary market. In the USA, the Better Online Ticket Sales Act prohibits, among other things, the use of automated purchasing programs.

Previous appeals from industry associations

The Federal Minister of Justice belongs to the SPD. When exactly the planned measures could result in a draft law remained unclear at first. What is clear is that tickets sold via resale platforms are to be regulated more strictly in the future.

Observers see the initiative as part of a broader debate on consumer protection in digital commerce. The combination of a price cap, a protected ticket, and the obligation to disclose price and seller information is aimed at reducing the lack of transparency on platforms outside the EU.

Industry associations had pointed out repeatedly in recent months to specific cases in which tickets were scooped up in large quantities by bots immediately after the start of sales and then offered at well above the original price. This racket, the critics say, primarily disadvantages loyal fans of smaller acts, who have little chance of getting hold of regular tickets.