Entain Launches New IP Infringement Legal Dispute

Entain has initiated new legal proceedings in the English High Court, going after matched betting firm Oddsmonkey in what may become another prominent intellectual property dispute in the gambling sector. The claim, brought on 21 August as Entain Operations Limited and others v Liquidity Trading Limited and others, does not yet contain any concrete details regarding the gambling giant’s claims.

Matched Betting Firms Remain Frowned Upon by Bookmakers

According to a recent Next.io report, this new legal dispute is classified as a civil Part 7 Claim. Media and technology law firm Wiggin LLP will represent Entain in this court case. The claim also names subsidiaries LC International Limited, Ladbrokes Betting & Gaming Limited, and 365 Scores UK Limited as co-claimants. Defendants named are Liquidity Trading Limited, Liquidity PA Limited, and Samuel Stoffel.

Stoffel, a central figure in the gambling world, founded matched betting platform Outplayed.com before its merger with Oddsmonkey late last year, although he no longer has direct management involvement. Matched betting, which exploits bookmakers’ free bet promotions to lock in guaranteed returns, is a legitimate strategy, even if frowned upon by operators.

Oddsmonkey and Outplayed.com built their businesses providing detailed guides and software that help users turn bonuses into profit, something that bookmakers argue undermines the value of their customer promotions. While some may perceive Entain’s new lawsuit as an attempt to crack down on the practice, the exact details of the operator’s claims remain unknown.

Legal Disputes Are Common for High-Profile Operators

Entain’s latest legal move adds another page to its growing legal docket. Just weeks ago, the firm faced a defeat in an intellectual property case before the European Union Intellectual Property Office. Entain attempted to block the Italian operator Sportbet S.R.L. from registering a logo mark, arguing the name was too close to its Sportingbet brand. The EUIPO rejected the claim, finding that “sport” and “bet” are generic industry terms and therefore cannot be monopolized.

These recent developments draw attention to the measures gambling firms are prepared to take to safeguard brand identities in a highly competitive and legally complex environment. Industry experts are closely watching another legal showdown involving Aristocrat and Light & Wonder as a sign of the industry’s increasingly contentious stance on intellectual property.

For Entain, the legal action against Oddsmonkey and its partners is likely an attempt to confront a business model that many bookmakers perceive as parasitic. It also represents another test of the limits to which the courts are ready to stretch protection for gambling operators’ trademarks and brand assets. As additional information behind Entain’s new lawsuit becomes available, industry experts will closely watch how the lawsuit unfolds.