Chamber of Deputies approves Taylor Swift Law to combat currency exchange at concerts and sporting events

A Chamber of Deputies approved a bill that aims to combat the exchange, the practice of illegally selling tickets at high prices at sporting events, concerts and other spectacles. Nicknamed Taylor Swift Law — at the pop star’s last show in Brazil, in November last year, tickets were sold for ten times their face value on online platforms — the project, now sent to Senate, was prepared as a replacement for PL 3115/23. One of the main changes introduced by the approved text is the requirement that tickets contain information such as the date of purchase and the final value, including any fees. The proposal also expands the scope of penalties, including counterfeiting of tickets for various types of events, not just limited to sporting competitions, within the scope of the law on crimes against the popular economy.

With regard to penalties, the project provides for imprisonment of one to two years and a fine corresponding to one hundred times the value of the ticket for anyone who falsifies them. For the typical practice of scalping, which involves the sale of tickets outside authorized locations at prices higher than those set, the penalty is one to two years in prison and a fine of 50 times the price of the tickets. Furthermore, those who supply, divert or facilitate the distribution of tickets for sale in this exchange scheme may be penalized with imprisonment for one to three years and a fine of one hundred times the value of the tickets. The project also establishes that the penalty can be increased from a third to half if the agent is a public servant, director, administrator, manager or employee of the entity promoting the event (or a contracted company).

With regard to online sales, the legislation determines that companies responsible for selling tickets must provide a “queue management” system for purchase, in addition to providing clear information about the event, the value of the tickets and the conditions for return and refund. Representative Pedro Aihara (Patriota-MG), author of the project, highlighted to Agência Câmara that the initiative seeks to guarantee fair access to events, preventing the public from being deceived or exploited by illegal practices such as currency exchange. “It’s not just about making access fairer, but understanding that Brazil, in all its cultural and sporting potential, can and should work better for entrepreneurs.”