Aristocrat, Light & Wonder Bury the Hatchet with New Settlement

Aristocrat Leisure Limited and Light & Wonder have released a joint statement, confirming that they have agreed to settle their pending litigation in Australia and the United States. This marks the end of months of IP-related hostilities.

Aristocrat and L&W Reach an Agreement

The case in question revolved around Light & Wonder’s Dragon Train game, which Aristocrat argued was developed using Aristocrat’s trade secrets and copyright works. The companies have been locking horns since, with Aristocrat also making similar claims against another L&W game called Jewel of the Dragon.

After months of hostilities, Aristocrat and Light & Wonder confirmed that they are ready to bury the hatchet. To that end, Light & Wonder has agreed to compensate Aristocrat $127.5 million for the damage caused by the alleged misappropriation and IP infringement.

In addition to that, Light & Wonder acknowledged that “certain Aristocrat math information” was used in the development of the two games in question. Because of that, L&W agreed to “permanently cease commercialization” of both games globally and to make best efforts to remove existing terminals.

Light & Wonder has also agreed not to make further use of the Aristocrat math information and destroy associated documents. The two companies have furthermore begun confidential procedures to identify and resolve any further issues associated with the use of Aristocrat math in Light & Wonder titles.

At the same time, Aristocrat has agreed to dismiss its claims against Light & Wonder. The two parties have furthermore acknowledged the significant innovation that goes into game design and agreed to maintain the protection of proprietary assets and respect IP rights in the future.

The Two Companies Are Pleased to Settle the Matter  

While many details associated with the settlement remained confidential, officials were pleased with the outcome. Trevor Croker, Aristocrat’s CEO and managing director, highlighted Aristocrat’s commitment to protecting its intellectual property while still encouraging innovation within the industry.  

We welcome this positive outcome, which includes significant financial compensation and follows the decisive action we took to ensure the preservation of Aristocrat’s valuable intellectual property assets.

Trevor Croker, CEO & MD, Aristocrat

Matt Wilson, Light & Wonder’s chief executive officer, added that his team is pleased to have settled this matter, allowing the company to move forward. He regretted the ordeal, which was caused by a former employee who had inappropriately used certain Aristocrat math and added that his team is firmly committed to “doing business the right way” and respecting its competitors’ IP rights in the future.

Wilson concluded: “This settlement protects the interests of our customers, employees, and shareholders, and allows us to continue our focus on developing and delivering the market-leading content our customers expect – without distraction or disruption.”