Ticketmaster Sued for Alleged Patent Infringement on Safetix Barcode Innovation

Ticketmaster’s back in the spotlight. This month, it and Live Nation are facing a new lawsuit over the rotating barcode tech used in SafeTix.

The Lawsuits – Rotating Barcode & More

EChanging Barcode LLC claims Ticketmaster copied its patented system that prevents ticket screenshots. The patent—U.S. Patent #9,047,715—covers rotating encrypted barcodes. Alan Amron, the inventor and part-owner of EChanging Barcode, also sued Major League Baseball for using the same tech. Just weeks ago, Ticketmaster confirmed two major changes: users can no longer have multiple accounts, and TradeDesk is officially shut down. These moves follow the FTC’s lawsuit from September, which accused the company of colluding with brokers and violating resale rules. Live Nation and Ticketmaster also face accusations of violating the 2016 BOTS Act, which bans bots from buying tickets. Ticketmaster pushed back, saying it invested over a billion dollars in bot prevention and blocked 8.7 million bots in April alone.

Critics remain unconvinced. Ticketmaster’s control of ticketing at 80% of major U.S. and Canadian venues has left artists feeling forced to work with Live Nation. After spending over 15 years as a merged entity, the companies now face calls for a breakup. Live Nation and Ticketmaster also face an antitrust lawsuit over their use of SafeTix. The DOJ claims they deployed the technology not just to prevent fraud, but to block competition from other ticket resale platforms. In May 2025, a judge denied Live Nation’s request to dismiss the case. The trial is scheduled for March 2026

As legal pressure builds, Ticketmaster and Live Nation face more than lawsuits—they’re under intense public scrutiny. Whether their reforms are genuine or just damage control remains unclear. But fans, artists, and regulators are watching closely, and the ticketing industry could be headed for a major shakeup. Stay tuned to EDMTunes for all the latest updates on Ticketmaster and Live Nation.

*Source: Bloomberg & Digital Music News