Quebec cracking down on ‘parasite’ ticket resellers with new bill

The Quebec government has tabled a new bill to crack down on online ticket resales and to regulate subscription services.

The new legislation would require ticket resellers to make clear that they are not the official seller and that consumers may find cheaper tickets from the original vendor.

Quebec Justice Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette calls ticket resellers “parasites” who hurt artists.

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The province already has legislation forbidding resellers from inflating ticket prices unless they have an agreement with an event producer.

But Quebec is not going as far as the U.K. government, which recently moved to outright ban the resale of tickets for more than their original value.

In a separate part of the bill, businesses would be required to make it easy for consumers to unsubscribe from services and to notify them before subscription rates increase.