Playtech sued for patent infringement
Saturday, March 18, 2006
Playtech sued for patent infringement
Playtech, currently heading towards the UK stockmarket - see my Playtech confirmed listing on the UK stockmarket article - are now apparently having to defend a lawsuit on the grounds of patent infringement, according to the Israel business news site Globes Online.
Austrian company Lubar and its CEO, Yaakov Rafaeli of Rishon LeZion, have filed a lawsuit with the Tel Aviv District Court against Playtech Cyprus Ltd for patent infringement relating to its system and method for remote online gambling at actual casinos. Playtech, controlled by Teddy Sagi, develops technology for online gambling sites and provides services to online gambling operators.
Lubar has named three other defendants: foreign companies operating online gambling sites, including Empire Online Ltd. (AIM: EOL), controlled by CEO Noam Lanir.
According to the claimant, before the development of the system and method of online gambling at actual casinos, gambling was carried out at virtual gambling sites, with the results calculated by the website?s computers. The claimant says its invention was the first to make possible online gambling at an actual casino, where the operator was a real person, and where the results of the game were determined by where the roulette ball fell.
The claimants allege that they have parallel patents in the US and Australia, that they were applying for patents in European and other countries, and that they were acting to enforce their patent rights worldwide.
No statement of defense has been filed yet.
Yitzhak Danon, 16 Mar 06, 16:44
Lubar has named three other defendants: foreign companies operating online gambling sites, including Empire Online Ltd. (AIM: EOL), controlled by CEO Noam Lanir.
According to the claimant, before the development of the system and method of online gambling at actual casinos, gambling was carried out at virtual gambling sites, with the results calculated by the website?s computers. The claimant says its invention was the first to make possible online gambling at an actual casino, where the operator was a real person, and where the results of the game were determined by where the roulette ball fell.
The claimants allege that they have parallel patents in the US and Australia, that they were applying for patents in European and other countries, and that they were acting to enforce their patent rights worldwide.
No statement of defense has been filed yet.
Yitzhak Danon, 16 Mar 06, 16:44
Source: Globes Online Playtech article.
Although the article is not very specific on the exact nature of the alleged infringement, a lawsuit is not exactly the best turn of events for a company on the verge of an IPO on the UK Alternative Investment Market.
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