Official ticketing : the FFT reacts to Viagogo's conviction

The FFT applauds the decision made by the Paris Court of Appeals to uphold the conviction of Viagogo Entertainment Inc. and Viagogo AG.

Ticket at the entry of Roland-Garros©Roch Armando

The French Tennis Federation (FFT) is delighted with the Paris Court of Appeals’ conviction of the companies Viagogo Entertainment Inc. and Viagogo AG on 7th February. The dispute concerned the unauthorised sale of tickets for the Roland-Garros tournament on the VIAGOGO website.

The Paris Court of Appeals upheld the interim order issued by the Paris Crown Court on 6th April 2018. By doing this, they have once again recognised that the FFT has a monopoly over all of the sporting events that it organises, in particular the Roland-Garros tournament, including over ticket sales. They concluded that the sale of tickets for the Roland-Garros tournament on the VIAGOGO website constitutes a manifestly unlawful practice that disadvantages the FFT. The Court specified that the blocking measures put in place by VIAGOGO are not sufficient to prevent tickets for the Roland-Garros tournament that are purchased abroad from being issued in France or to a French user. It also confirmed the counterfeiting of the ROLAND-GARROS brands.

Tickets Roland-Garros 2019©Emilie Hautier

The VIAGOGO companies have been sentenced to pay the FFT a minimum of €80,000 in damages, as compensation for the losses sustained (€20,000 more than the original sentence), as well as an additional €15,000 in accordance with article 700 of the French Civil Procedure Code.

“Just a few weeks before tickets sales open to the general public for the 2020  Roland-Garros tournament, this decision will enable us to fight against the illegal resale of tickets on the VIAGOGO website,” explains Jean-François Vilotte, Director General of the FFT. ”It demonstrates the FFT’s desire to take a firm stance against the illegal sale of tickets for the events it organises, such as the Roland-Garros tournament and the Rolex Paris Masters.”

The FFT would like to remind purchasers that the only website authorised to sell tickets for the tournament is the official tournament website www.tickets.rolandgarros.com, which includes an official ticket resale service.