The online auction site eBay bowed to pressure and said Tuesday it will stop listings for tickets to the London Live 8 concert.
Bob Geldorf, the Live 8 organizer, had demanded eBay remove the listings, calling the site an "electronic pimp" for allowing its users to sell tickets to the free concert. The concert is designed to raise awareness of global poverty.
"The bottom line is that we've listened carefully to our customers over the last few days," eBay managing director Doug McCallum told Britain's ITV television. "Overwhelmingly, the voice is that they would like us to take down the listing, so we are going to do our best to do that."
More than 100 pairs of tickets had been listed by early Tuesday. Completed auctions will not be reversed.
Tickets to the concert, 150,000 of them, were distributed free to winners of an online lottery. Some of the winners posted their tickets on eBay with asking prices of up to $1,800 a pair as soon as they received notification they were winners, even before they had physical possession of the tickets.
The concert scheduled for July 2 in Hyde Park features an all-star lineup including Paul McCartney, Madonna, U2, Elton John and a reunited Pink Floyd.
© Copyright 2005 by United Press International
