The US Justice Department is preparing to take legal action against Live Nation Entertainment, Reuters reports. According to "a source familiar with the planned legal action," the DOJ is pursuing Live Nation over allegations that the concert promoter has strong-armed venues into using its Ticketmaster subsidiary.
The DOJ believes Live Nation Entertainment's ticketing practices violate the merger settlement that the company reached with the government in 2010. Live Nation and Ticketmaster were allowed to merge under the condition that they agree not to retaliate against venue owners who use a competing ticket service.
The federal government now plans to file a decree enforcement action and extend the restrictions before the settlement expires next year. Live Nation continues to deny that the company has violated the terms of the agreement with the DOJ's antitrust division.
