‘Denied Entry’: Ticket Giant AXS Sues Company It Says ‘Spoofed’ Concert Tickets & Burned Fans

‘Denied Entry’: Ticket Giant AXS Sues Company It Says ‘Spoofed’ Concert Tickets & Burned Fans The lawsuit takes aim at a website that allegedly allows resellers to create "counterfeit" passes to circumvent ticket transfer restrictions. Trending on Billboard Ticketing giant AXS is suing a company called SecureMyPass that allegedly helps scalpers in “spoofing” digital concert passes, claiming it has repeatedly caused “unsuspecting consumers” to be turned away from big-ticket shows. In a lawsuit filed Wednesday (Jan. 15) in Los Angeles federal court, attorneys for AEG-owned AXS accuse SecureMyPass of “fraudulent practices” - namely, allowing brokers to bypass digital encryption and transfer systems designed to ensure that fans have a legitimate ticket. The “counterfeit” tickets, which feature working barcodes, have resulted in fans being denied entry at venues after paying “inflated prices” on resale platforms, AXS claims, citing alleged examples of confused fans at concerts headlined by Paul McCartney , Lorde and other big acts. “Because these counterfeit tickets are not genuine AXS tickets, broker resellers may deliver multiple copies of the same ticket, defrauding customers who are turned away when their ticket has already been redeemed,” AXS’s attorneys write. “Consumers, venues, artists and AXS alike are all harmed by SMP’s pernicious and fraudulent behavior.” In an emailed statement to Billboard on Thursday (Jan. 15), SecureMyPass says it “disputes many of the allegations in AXS’s complaint and believes the lawsuit fundamentally mischaracterizes both our business and the realities of the ticket resale market.” “SecureMyPass helps brokers deliver tickets they already own to customers who paid for them,” the company adds. “Any customer harm cited by AXS stems from enforcement choices made at the venue level, not from ticket validity.” In its own statement to Billboard , AXS said it was “deeply committed to fan protection and fair access to live events. We will continue to act in ways that support consumer trust and the integrity of the ticketing ecosystem. Beyond that, we do not comment on pending litigation.” Large primary ticket vendors like Ticketmaster and AXS often require fans to transfer and store digital passes within their own proprietary apps - a practice sometimes criticized by consumer advocates but one that the companies say guarantees validity. Fans can usually still sell their tickets on resale sites like StubHub and SeatGeek, but must often complete the actual transfer within the vendor’s app. According to AXS’s lawsuit, SecureMyPass is designed to “circumvent” those protections, allowing “anonymous brokers” to create fake tickets and sell them to “unsuspecting” fans: “SMP does this by essentially spoofing the AXS Mobile ID ticket, including what looks to be a dynamic QR code, thereby creating a counterfeit ticket, which can be scanned at venue entry,” the company’s lawyers write. The tickets look real, the lawsuit says - not only featuring the AXS logo and trade dress but also more advanced features, like the moving “dynamic” code that refreshes as it does on the original digital passes. Crucially, however, AXS says such tickets are not linked to a unique ID...

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