Rugby Case Good For Viagogo?

UK-based secondary ticket-seller Viagogo reckons that losing a Supreme Court to the Rugby Football Union has been good for business and also prompted the company to sharpen up its data protection.

The London court ruled Nov. 21 that Viagogo must hand over to the Rugby Football Union the names and addresses of people who sold on tickets to England rugby matches via its website.

Although the company’s tried to hang on to the its clients’ information and has appealed similar rulings from a lower court, Viagogo global communications director Oli Wheeler told Pollstar the company will comply with the latest one.

Viagogo head of marketing Ed Parkinson shrugged off the court defeat, indicating that the info his company will now hand over amounts to no more than “a handful of names from sales that took place several years ago.”

“I can assure you that this will not happen again,” he said.

“Thanks to the RFU and the publicity they have generated around this case, our rugby ticket business is now bigger and our data protection is now better, so fans may now buy and sell rugby tickets on Viagogo with absolute confidence that their information will be protected.”