Aviator LLC has filed a trademark challenge against Spribe in the EU after securing a victory in the Georgia courts.
The company said in a release that it has initiated invalidation action against the crash games pioneer in the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO).
It follows Aviator LLC securing a $330m ruling in the Georgia Court of the First Instance against Spribe and Flutter-owned Adjarabet in August.
Representing Aviator, Nikoloz Gogilidze, managing partner of law firm Mikadze Gegetchkori Taktakishvili LLC, said: “The EUIPO action represents the logical continuation of this dispute following the court’s decision.
“Our client is strongly committed to aggressively protecting its IP rights worldwide. Hence, after obtaining first victory in Georgia where initial infringement took place, the next step is to challenge Spribe OU trademarks worldwide.”
Spribe dispute centres on former Adjarabet shareholder
Sources previously told NEXT.io the dispute relates to a former shareholder in the Adjarabet business.
Aviator LLC owns several trademark registrations for the graphic logo Aviator for online and land-based casino services. The entity accused Spribe of using the logo in its flagship crash game since 2019.
City Loft, the previous owner of Adjarabet, transferred all intellectual property related to the Aviator trademark and logo to Aviator LLC in 2022.
The company, according to Mikadze Gegetchkori Taktakishvili LLC, is currently active in Georgia’s land-based casino sector.
City Loft was reportedly owned by the former Adjarabet owner Teimuraz Ugulava, with the Aviator logo used in his land-based casino.
The game “Aviator Crash” was launched on the Adjarabet Online Casino in 2019 when the company was still 100% owned by the Georgian businessman.
Following the game’s release, however, Adjarabet was sold to Flutter, which Gogilidze claims did not involve granting the rights to the Aviator trademark.
The lawyer added that a list of specifically listed trademarks were included in the sale, including the Adjarabet trademark.
In 2021 and 2022, Gogilidze said Spribe registered its own Aviator trademarks for online gaming, which Aviator LLC argued infringed on its IP.
NEXT.io understands the game generated around $7.5m revenue for Adjarabet in Georgia during 2023.
In August, a source described the $330m ruling as egregious and as bearing no relation to the actual economics of the property.
Spribe defends itself from infringement allegations
A Spribe spokesperson told NEXT.io at the time: “Spribe created Aviator in 2018 and was the pioneer in the creation and popularisation of the Crash Game sector, that has totally reshaped the iGaming industry.
“Spribe is the creator and proud owner of the Aviator game globally, with the IP (copyright, trademark) protected worldwide and owned exclusively by us.
“Aviator is certified in over 40 jurisdictions and is played by more than 35 million players every month across more than 4,500 brands.”