Toronto Globe & Mail (Canada) (11/29/17) O'Kane, Josh

The Canadian province of Alberta plans to prohibit rapid ticket-buying "bot" software as part of a slate of new rules on event-ticket selling, but for now will not impose tougher regulatory measures on ticket sellers such as those passed by the government of Ontario. Alberta also has proposed coercing ticket vendors to proactively spot and cancel tickets purchased with bots, letting consumers and vendors litigate against offending bot users. Resale marketplaces would be mandated to recoup Albertans if a ticket sold via the platform is invalid or counterfeit, if the event it is for is canceled, or if it is different than advertised. Violators could face up to $300,000 in fines and a two-year prison sentence. Unlike Ontario, Alberta has declined to impose disincentives for the live-event and ticketing industries, says Service Alberta Minister Stephanie McLean. "We want this to be an attractive place for artists to come, and there are so many different industry interests...that influence acts coming to Alberta," she notes. McLean describes the bot ban as a "first step," and says the province would be willing to deploy further ticketing regulations if necessary.

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