US Department of Justice Announces Antitrust Lawsuit Against Live Nation and Ticketmaster – Indianapolis News | Weather in Indiana

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – On Thursday, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced an antitrust lawsuit against Ticketmaster and its owner, Live Nation Entertainment, at a press conference.

The US Department of Justice accused the pair of having an illegal monopoly on live events in the US, driving out competition.

The lawsuit was filed in New York by the Department of Justice, 30 states and attorneys general. Both federal and state governments are seeking a jury trial and a potential breakup of the companies.

Max Huffman, associate dean and professor at Indiana University’s McKinney School of Law with expertise in antitrust issues, joined Daybreak to discuss more.

“Being rich and making a lot of money through a monopoly is not illegal. However, it is illegal to use your monopoly power to harm competition and ultimately harm consumers,” Huffman said. “So what they’re really talking about is a course of action that includes things like exclusive contracts, where they say if you want to use us as a business partner, you know, you only have to use us, they have to sign an exclusive contract.”

This is considered an exclusionary contract. According to Contractcounsel.com, it is an agreement that is intended to limit a party’s ability to enter into business arrangements with other companies for a specified period of time.

Huffman says this prevents competitors from breaking in and taking part in the ticket sales market.

The case is expected to drag on for an extended period of time. Huffman says it would be best if Live Nation and Ticketmaster reached a settlement with federal and state governments rather than going to trial.

More information on this case can be found in the interview above.