Files lawsuit asserting its full compliance with the BOTS Act
BALTIMORE, July 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Key Investment Group (KIG), a leading secondary market ticketing company, filed a lawsuit today in the United States District Court for the District of Maryland against the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The FTC erroneously claims that KIG, and other similarly situated secondary market ticketing companies, violate the BOTS Act by purchasing tickets using multiple accounts. The FTC has informed KIG that it will be imminently filing a civil action against it for BOTS Act violations, seeking millions of dollars and other broad liabilities that would shut down the company, and by extension, the secondary ticketing industry for concerts.
The Better Online Ticket Sales (BOTS) Act is intended to address bad actors using ticket bots, or specialized computer scripts, to find ways to circumvent the ticket buying security systems and secure large volumes of event tickets before consumers have a chance to buy. This is not what KIG does. Despite KIG’s best efforts and transparency, the FTC has deployed a flawed interpretation of the BOTS Act to target KIG’s lawful and industry-standard business practices. The FTC believes the ticket limits set forth by the primary ticket issuer apply on a company level and not individual. The FTC’s novel interpretation of the BOTS Act would make many consumers and most companies—including nearly every Fortune 500 company—in violation of the law.
“KIG is standing up for the consumers and a fair and free secondary market. Any fan who has ever bought and sold concert tickets understands there’s tremendous risk involved. For every one artist with sold out high-demand tickets there are hundreds of artists that have trouble selling out their shows,” a Key Investment Group representative explained. “Published secondary data shows that nearly 40% of all concert tickets sold for under $50 and that 55% of all secondary listings had tickets listed for resale at below face value. This lawsuit against the FTC makes clear that a well-regulated secondary ticket market empowers fans, increases access, allows open competition and free markets, and strengthens the live event economy.”
The secondary ticket market is estimated to exceed $10 billion in 2025. In March, the Trump Administration issued an executive order to “rigorously enforce” the BOTS Act to reduce ticket price-gouging and unlawful business practices in the ticketing industry. KIG applauds legitimate efforts to enforce the BOTS Act. But here, the FTC has gone too far.
Consumers often choose to buy or use a knowledgeable, trusted, often local secondary ticket business to buy tickets for them. This market provides convenience and fosters healthy competition. The FTC’s flawed, broad reinterpretation of the BOTS Act would strip consumers of that choice, and would bar the secondary ticket market and the greater business community from engaging in regular, lawful activity.
“The FTC’s actions will serve to benefit the one or two ticketing giants in the space and strengthen their already tight grip on ticketing at the expense of consumers,” the KIG representative explained. “We would love nothing more than having the use or practice of bots for purchasing tickets to be eliminated from our industry. That is what the BOTS Act is about. It is not about shutting down legitimate businesses to satisfy a few multinational corporations.”
The FTC’s interpretation of the BOTS Act is inconsistent with the BOTS Act’s statutory text, its legislative history, and its clear intent. As such, KIG looks forward to defending the legitimacy of its business and that of the entire secondary ticket market in court.
Media Contact:
Jacque Gairrett
The Fearey Group
[email protected]
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SOURCE Key Investment Group
