Monday, August 08, 2005

Ticket text is atrocious

Here is the text from the back of a ticket I bought. Given the size of the Museum and the resources at its disposal--and considering the amount I paid for the ticket--I think the text here is atrocious. The Museum should be embarrassed.

I ask again: who writes this garbage? Nonlawyers who are cobbling the text together from archaic and poorly drafted forms? Lawyers who are out of touch with modern English, modern legal drafting, and their own inner human being?
    This ticket is a revocable license, subject to termination with denial of admission at management’s discretion upon refund of the purchase price. The resale or attempted resale of this ticket without express written authorization from the Museum is grounds for seizure and cancellation of the ticket without any compensation. The holder of this ticket is subject to denial of admission or removal from the Museum and its premises without compensation should the holder act in a disorderly manner or violate any of management’s rules and regulations. The holder of this ticket agrees not to engage in any photography or reproduction, or to transmit or aid in transmission, in any form, of the materials contained in, performed at, or owned by, the Museum. Holder consents to the search of any or all bags, packages or any other containers brought to the Museum or its premises. Any violation of the foregoing by holder automatically terminates this license. Holder irrevocably grants permission to the Museum and its designees to utilize the holder’s image, persons or likeness in connection with any broadcast, recording, photograph or other reproduction in connection with the Museum’s entertainment, marketing or promotional activities and any other related purposes.
Flesch readability score is 16: at the low end of Very Difficult. Bad bad legal drafting, I say.

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