Games Global Sued by Playtech for Alleged Copyright Infringement
Playtech has reportedly initiated legal proceedings against Games Global partner OnAir Entertainment, accusing the company of intellectual property (IP) infringement. The lawsuit, filed in the UK's High Court, specifically targets Games Global and other involved parties for copyright and design rights violations.
The Playtech logo outside its offices in Latvia. (Source: Playtech)
LISTEN TO THIS ARTICLE:This legal action follows allegations of corporate espionage linked to Games Global's live casino supplier, OnAir Entertainment, according to media outlet Next.io. The lawsuit marks a step up in the ongoing rivalry between the two companies, particularly in the live casino segment of the gaming industry.
Related: Games Global Flips on Planned IPO Just Before LaunchEarlier in the year, as reported by Next.io, allegations surfaced regarding potential spying activities within OnAir Entertainment, raising concerns over unethical practices in the competitive live casino market. Ivans Ivanovs, a former senior product owner at OnAir, claimed on social media that his former colleague, Igors Veliks, had continued to access Playtech's internal systems after leaving the company. Veliks had previously worked for Playtech's Euro Live Technologies subsidiary, and the accusations implied that he had retained unauthorized access to Playtech's proprietary information, even after his departure from the company.
In response to the allegations, OnAir Entertainment reportedly took swift action by engaging an independent investigator to thoroughly examine the situation. Although the live casino provider did not disclose the identity of the investigator, the investigation's findings were made public weeks later.
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OnAir: Making a Big Deal out of Nothing
OnAir acknowledged that an employee had, in fact, retained access to Playtech's internal environment after leaving the company. However, the investigation reportedly concluded that the access had not been used for any espionage or spying activities, as initially suggested by the allegations.
According to OnAir, the investigation found that the retained access had been utilized for competitor analysis, which it described as a standard practice in the iGaming industry. The company emphasized that the demo environment in question only provided access to games that had already been finalized and prepared for release.
Therefore, OnAir claimed, no proprietary or confidential information beyond what was publicly available had been compromised. The company asserted that the retained access was not used for copying or infringing upon Playtech's IP in any way, attempting to downplay the seriousness of the allegations.
Despite these assurances from OnAir Entertainment, Playtech moved forward with its legal action, filing a Part 7 Copyright and design right claim in the UK's High Court. This type of claim typically relates to issues involving the unauthorized use or copying of protected designs and intellectual property, underscoring the gravity of Playtech's concerns. Although the specifics of the legal claim have not yet been made publicly available, the case has drawn attention within the gaming industry as it highlights the importance of IP protection in the competitive live casino space.
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