USPTO Says Acres Did Not Violate IGT’s Patents

Casino tech expert Acres has dealt the international software supplier IGT a major defeat after the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) ruled in the former company’s favor during a patent dispute. IGT had alleged that Acres’ Foundation casino management system violated IGT’s patents.

For reference, the Foundation product offers casino management solutions to its partners. This includes cashless solutions for brick-and-mortar casinos. The product was recently updated, becoming Foundation HQ.

However, IGT believes that 4 of the 200 patents it holds were violated by its competitor’s product. As a result, the international gaming provider took the matter to court, trying to force Acres to pay loyalties for the Foundation system.

Acres, however, submitted evidence to the USPTO, requesting the four patents case to be reexamined. As a result of this reexamination, the trademarks body ruled that Acres’ Foundation product does not violate IGT’s patents.

For reference, Acres is a company founded by AGA hall-of-famer John Acres. The company offers casino transformational technology, helping its partners excel and differentiate themselves from their competitors.

John Acres Says IGT Should Not Have Tried to Assert Its Patents

John Acres commented on the USPTO’s decision, which is a big win for his team and an upset for its international competitors. In his statement, Acres pointed out that that the USPTO did not find Foundation or its capabilities to infringe on IGT’s patents.

Presuming the findings from the USPTO stand – which I believe is highly probable – all claims of infringement against Foundation will be dismissed, and Foundation pricing will not increase, delivering a win for Acres and for our casino customers.

John Acres

Acres added that he believes the patents in question should never have been asserted against his company.

As mentioned by Acres, should IGT’s lawsuit succeed, the imposed royalties on Foundation would force the former company to increase the price of the product.

A month ago, Acres selected David Bain as its new chief financial officer. John Acres welcomed the new appointee on board, praising is invaluable expertise.

In the meantime, IGT recently published its Q3 results, highlighting stagnated but healthy revenues. Profitability was impacted by a number of negative factors but the company’s leadership is optimistic about IGT’s performance in the long term.

In addition, a week ago IGT launched IGT PlaySport-powered sportsbook in Puerto Rico.