Ticketmaster Settles with Attny Gen. in Springsteen Fiasco

"Attorney General Announces Settlement with Ticketmaster on Sale of Springsteen TicketsTickets will be made available for thousands of consumers shut out by Ticketmaster and steered to a more expensive ticket re-sale website." (Announcement; 2/23/09)

Attorney General Anne Milgram announced today a settlement with Ticketmaster to resolve more than two thousand complaints filed by consumers with the State Division of Consumer Affairs this month in connection with the sale of tickets to Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band concerts scheduled for May at the Izod Center in the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The agreement also mandates reforms to Ticketmaster’s business practices.

Roadhouse Blues

The Boss - Bruce Springsteen - and his cronies (i.e., publishers EMI, WB etc.) filed a cookie-cutter copyright infringement suit, alleging unauthorized public performance of four musical works. Defendant is the owner of the Rolling Thunder Road House Cafe, in South Carolina.

Nothing that interesting here, other than plaintiffs claim knowing and wilful infringement, based on Defendant ignoring letters from ASCAP -- but then only demand non-wilful statutory damages (i.e., $750 - $30,000). Statutory damages for wilful infringement have a maximum of $150,000. 17 U.S.C. 504(c).

[Duke of Earle et al. v. Baker, case 6:07-cv-04062-RBH (filed 12/18/2007; Dist.S.C.)]