Don’t mess around with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and don’t try to attend the Oscars ceremony if you’re not a star.
That’s part of the message from the Academy in a lawsuit against a Hollywood ticket broker who allegedly acquired tickets to this year’s annual award show and sold them to the general public for thousands of dollars.
The Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit names as defendants Key Access Inc., located on Sunset Boulevard, and owner Dave Canter. The suit’s allegations include inducing breach of contract, aiding and abetting trespass and trademark infringement.
The suit seeks unspecified damages and an injunction preventing Key Access from receiving or transferring Academy Awards show tickets in the future.
A Key Access representative did not reply to an email seeking comment.
The suit states that tickets to the show are provided to “select recipients” under an agreement they will not be sold or transferred. However, some of those who obtain the tickets are induced to sell them to ticket brokers for thousands of dollars, according to the lawsuit.
“The ticket brokers then resell or transfer the tickets to members of the general public,” an action that encourages the trespass by non-invited individuals to the ceremony, the suit states.
In February, Key Access placed an at on Craigslist.org offering to sell Academy Award show tickets for $37,000, the suit alleges.
A third party not identified in the lawsuit contacted Key Access and a representative said that two orchestra seats were available for $45,000 each and balcony tickets for $27,500, the suit alleges.
“They provided wire instructions for the electronic transfer of funds to purchase the tickets,” the suit states.
But the transaction did not take place, according to the complaint.
Also in February, the academy found out that Key Access was displaying an Oscar statuette image “substantially or confusingly similar to” the Academy’s trademark figure, the suit states. The academy sent a letter to Key Access demanding they stop using the image and refrain from selling or transferring award show tickets, the suit states.
Key Access responded by stating the alleged trademark infringement was a mistake, but denied offering any tickets for sale, according to the lawsuit.
— City News Service