Intent. — Washington Code § 19.345.005

It is the intent of the legislature to protect consumers and ticket sellers from software that simulates the action of a human being purchasing tickets from a ticket seller in order to evade controls and measures on a ticket seller's website. The legislature is concerned by the use of software, commonly referred to as BOTs (web robots), to interfere with the operation of ticket sales over the internet, gaining unauthorized priority access to purchasing tickets, and thereby reducing access to the general public of online ticket sales at the intended original price. In order to protect consumers and ticket sellers, the legislature intends to prohibit acts and practices of persons that use or sell software to circumvent, thwart, interfere with, or evade a security measure, access control system, or other control or measure on a ticket seller's internet website. It is not the intent of the legislature to interrupt the online ticket buying process established by the authorized ticket seller, including the distribution of tickets to season ticket holders.