Ticketing giant AXS is suing a company called SecureMyPass that allegedly helps scalpers in “spoofing” digital concert passes, claiming it has repeatedly caused “unsuspecting consumers” to be turned away from big-ticket shows.
In a lawsuit filed Wednesday (Jan. 15) in Los Angeles federal court, attorneys for AEG-owned AXS accuse SecureMyPass of “fraudulent practices” — namely, allowing brokers to bypass digital encryption and transfer systems designed to ensure that fans have a legitimate ticket.
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The “counterfeit” tickets, which feature working barcodes, have resulted in fans being denied entry at venues after paying “inflated prices” on resale platforms, AXS claims, citing alleged examples of confused fans at concerts headlined by Paul McCartney, Lorde and other big acts.
“Because these counterfeit tickets are not genuine AXS tickets, broker resellers may deliver multiple copies of the same ticket, defrauding customers who are turned away when their ticket has already been redeemed,” AXS’s attorneys write. “Consumers, venues, artists and AXS alike are all harmed by SMP’s pernicious and fraudulent behavior.”
In an emailed statement to Billboard on Thursday (Jan. 15), SecureMyPass says it “disputes many of the allegations in AXS’s complaint and believes the lawsuit fundamentally mischaracterizes both our business and the realities of the ticket resale market.”
“SecureMyPass helps brokers deliver tickets they already own to customers who paid for them,” the company adds. “Any customer harm cited by AXS stems from enforcement choices made at the venue level, not from ticket validity.”
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In its own statement to Billboard, AXS said it was “deeply committed to fan protection and fair access to live events. We will continue to act in ways that support consumer trust and the integrity of the ticketing ecosystem. Beyond that, we do not comment on pending litigation.”
Large primary ticket vendors like Ticketmaster and AXS often require fans to transfer and store digital passes within their own proprietary apps — a practice sometimes criticized by consumer advocates but one that the companies say guarantees validity. Fans can usually still sell their tickets on resale sites like StubHub and SeatGeek, but must often complete the actual transfer within the vendor’s app.
According to AXS’s lawsuit, SecureMyPass is designed to “circumvent” those protections, allowing “anonymous brokers” to create fake tickets and sell them to “unsuspecting” fans: “SMP does this by essentially spoofing the AXS Mobile ID ticket, including what looks to be a dynamic QR code, thereby creating a counterfeit ticket, which can be scanned at venue entry,” the company’s lawyers write.
The tickets look real, the lawsuit says — not only featuring the AXS logo and trade dress but also more advanced features, like the moving “dynamic” code that refreshes as it does on the original digital passes. Crucially, however, AXS says such tickets are not linked to a unique ID number, meaning bad actors can resell the same pass over and over.
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“The broker could easily send the same link to multiple buyers, creating a race to the venue,” AXS writes. “Once the first buyer scans into the venue using the counterfeit product, all remaining latecomers would be denied access.” Resellers can also sell tickets with “nonexistent sections and seat numbers,” AXS says, meaning that even when fans gain entry to the building, they can sometimes later be ejected from the venue when they try to get to their seats.
This isn’t the first time AXS has tried to crack down on how its tickets are transferred. Back in 2024, it filed a similar suit against several firms it claimed were enabling scalpers to evade safeguards. That case eventually settled, but not before one of the targets countersued AXS with claims that the resale restrictions were “monopolistic” and illegal, aimed at forcing fans to use its own resale platform.
In its statement on Thursday SecureMyPass echoed those arguments, saying the AXS lawsuit was “not about consumer access or fan protection,” but about a large company seeking to control the resale market itself. SecureMyPass also sharply disputed that its technology had caused any fans to be turned away from concerts.
“Importantly, tickets delivered through SecureMyPass scan correctly,” the firm said. “When customers are denied entry, it is not because the ticket is invalid, but because venue staff have been instructed to visually identify and reject tickets delivered outside the AXS app.”
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In its lawsuit, AXS cites several alleged cases of spurned fans, including at least seven who were denied entry to a Lorde concert in October at Denver’s famed Red Rocks Amphitheater. It also cites another fan who was allegedly refused admission to a Suki Waterhouse show at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles.
The suit claims SecureMyPass tickets are creating confusion for fans, who are venting their frustrations to AXS itself. “I bought tickets for Paul McCartney on Gametime tickets and was sent a link yesterday saying your tickets have been delivered, however they don’t show up in the AXS app,” one fan allegedly told the company. “They only open in the web link they sent which is Securemypass.com.”
“SMP’s acts are … causing widespread damage and harm to consumers who are the victims of SMP’s fraudulent conduct, and to venues and other event organizers who shoulder the costs of identifying and assisting those victims,” the company writes.
In technical terms, AXS is suing for various forms of trademark infringement, claiming that duplicated tickets amount to a fake product bearing the company’s insignias. It is also suing for breach of contract over its claims that SecureMyPass violated the terms of use of the AXS app and website.
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