Online movie ticketing site Fandango.com has sued AOL Time Warner Inc.'s rival service Moviefone, alleging it interfered with a ticketing deal with the Loews theater chain in a way that threatened its survival as a business.
The suit, filed in a Los Angeles court on Thursday, claims Moviefone negotiated with the Loews Cineplex theater chain to abandon the chain's exclusive advanced-ticketing agreement with Fandango for a competing deal with Moviefone.
"The suit is baseless and we plan to vigorously contest the allegations in court," said Jim Whitney, an AOL spokesman.
The suit also names as a defendant Onex Corp., a Canadian conglomerate that took a controlling interest in Loews after the theater chain emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy last month.
Fandango alleges Loews hesitated to fulfill an agreement, first signed in March, 2000, to switch to an exclusive arrangement with Fandango as of Feb. 1, finally switched two weeks later, and then rejected the agreement on April 19.
News source: Reuters - Fandango.com Sues AOL Moviefone Over Loews Deal
