January 25, 2010

DOJ Conditionally Approves Merger

Assistant Attorney General Christine Varney, head of the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice, announced today in a conference call that the DOJ, along with 17 state attorneys general, filed a civil antitrust lawsuit today in the U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., to enjoin the merger, citing anti-competitive concerns. However, concurrently filed with the complaint was a proposed settlement which would approve the merger, albeit with several stipulations.

The major stipulations include the following:
1. Ticketmaster will license its primary ticketing software to AEG.
2. Ticketmaster will divest Paciolan.
3. Ticketmaster will be subject to certain behavioral restrictions.

To view the documents filed by the DOJ, visit the Better Ticketing Association website.

The proposed settlement must be approved by the court before it takes effect.

If you need more information or would like to contact the Better Ticketing Association, you may do so via email.

Broker Survey: Currently, we are conducting a first-ever survey of ticket resale brokers involved in the secondary market. Your input is vital to ensuring that an industry profile can be developed. Please take the time to fill out the survey--you could even win an iPod Shuffle!

The survey can be found on the Better Ticketing Association website or by clicking here.

Disclaimer: The Better Ticket Association is a TicketNetwork-sponsored organization. The contents of this newsletter should not be interpreted as legal advice, and are for information only. TicketNetwork recommends you speak with your lawyer and/or accountant for any and all legal guidance and recommendations.