Aviator LLC Wins $330M Lawsuit against Spribe and Adjarabet

Aviator LLC has successfully sued Spribe and Adjarabet over their use of the Aviator name. As a result, the defendants had to pay $330 million in damages to the plaintiff and forfeit trademark registrations that infringed on its copyright.

Aviator LLC Says Its Copyright Was Infringed

Aviator LLC, for context, owns several trademark registrations for the graphic logo Aviator for gambling services use. Spribe used the image and brand name Aviator for its flagship crash game, which has quickly taken the online gaming market by storm. In 2021-22, Spribe registered its own Aviator trademarks for computer games and gambling services, prompting the lawsuit.

Aviator, for context, is a crash-style game where players can place up to two bets. Once the round starts, a virtual plane will take off, significantly increasing the bet multiplier as it flies higher. The higher the plane flies, the more money players can earn. The plane, however, could fly away at any given moment. If players do not cash in their bets before it does, their wager is forfeit.

The simplicity of this concept has resonated with players all over the world, engaging players with simple yet exciting gaming experiences. This, however, doesn’t mean that Aviator LLC wasn’t unhappy with the way its copyright had been infringed.

The Court Supported Aviator

Aviator LLC filed the lawsuit against Spribe claiming invalidation of the latter company’s trademarks. The former party alleged that these trademarks were registered in bad faith since Spribe was well aware of the existence of Aviator LLC’s rights.

In addition, Aviator LLC claimed that the trademark registrations infringed its copyright on the Aviator image.

In its lawsuit, Aviator LLC also requested to prevent Adjarabet from using the name Aviator and the Aviator image and asked for damages.

On August 20, 2024, the Court of First Instance decided that Aviator LLC was in the right. The court proceeded to satisfy its claims, invalidating Spribe’s trademark registrations and forcing Adjarabet to provide $330 million in damages to the company.

Nikoloz Gogilidze, managing partner of Mikadze Gegetchkori Taktakishvili, which represented Aviator LLC’s interests, said that his team and Aviator are pleased with the outcome of this lawsuit. According to Gogilidze, his firm will continue to rigorously protect its client’s intellectual property from unlicensed use on international gaming platforms.