GAMING FOR AFRICA
Aviator Crash Game Intellectual Property Rights Defended by Spribe
Creator of the Aviator game in 2018, Spribe has asserted its IP rights as pioneer in the creation and popularisation of the Crash game sector. Aviator has been the number one crash game for more than five years and is tested and certified in more than 30 jurisdictions. It is played by more than 42 million players every month across around 5000 brands and partnered by respective industry powerhouses such as UFC, WWE as well as AC Milan. “SPRIBE is the sole owner of the Aviator game globally, with its IP protected throughout the world and owned exclusively by the company. Those rights include a number of trademark registrations for the game’s logo,” the company said.
“As expected, the popularity and high quality of SPRIBE’s Aviator game has increased the desire of third parties to seek to exploit and unlawfully benefit from our goodwill, which has been generated through SPRIBE’s hard work
and effort. Unfounded and opportunistic claims were launched in Georgia last year by a local company, Aviator LLC. These relate solely to use of the Aviator logo in Georgia and do not concern any of SPRIBE’s IP rights in the game itself,” Spribe said.
“The surprise and flawed ruling of the Georgian City Court in August last year is currently under appeal and has not yet been enforced. However, further to the documented concerns raised by independent international bodies about transparency and corruption in the Georgian courts, which even led to the US imposing sanctions on court officials in 2023 (Fact Sheet 7031c Designations of Georgian Officials), SPRIBE has observed a number of significant flaws and irregularities in the legal process to date. SPRIBE firmly rejects Aviator LLC’s allegations, which are without merit and part of a continuing
chain of bad faith actions driven by commercial opportunism. The underlying purpose appears to be to dishonestly take possession of SPRIBE’s goodwill and reputation in its Aviator game and share in its financial success. In this regard, it has recently become apparent that Aviator LLC is attempting to launch and sell a copycat version of SPRIBE’s Aviator game via PopOK Gaming’s platform.
SPRIBE will not tolerate any infringement of its intellectual property rights and will strongly defend its position. Any operator or partner hosting or distributing counterfeit games is in direct violation of SPRIBE’s rights and will be subject to legal action,” the Spribe statement concludes.
umAfrika Hosts Gauteng Provincial Legislature Committee as Part of Gambling Law Review
umAfrika Gaming Technologies welcomed the Gauteng Provincial Legislature Committee on the Scrutiny of Subordinate Legislation to its offices on 18 February 2025. This significant meeting, initiated by the Committee, formed part of its legislative review programme aimed at evaluating the Gauteng gambling legislation. The legislative review project began in 2022 when the Committee engaged with various stakeholders across the Gauteng gambling industry. Mr. Pramodh Munbodh, Legal and Compliance Director for umAfrika and representative of the South African
Gaming Manufacturers Association (SAGMA), was approached to provide insights from the manufacturer and supplier sector.
The meeting served as an orientation for newly appointed Committee members, reconstituted following the 2024 provincial elections, to familiarize themselves with industry feedback on the current gambling legislation.
“This marks the first time the Committee has actively sought input from industry licensees regarding the Gauteng gambling legislation. We believe that our
contributions will help refine the legislation to be more business-friendly while upholding the fundamental principles of gambling law,” said Mr. Munbodh. “Legislators are not directly involved in the industries they regulate, and licensees do not draft legislation. Therefore, this collaboration ensures that the legal framework is aligned with the operational realities of the industry, identifying and addressing outdated requirements.” Public hearings on the Gauteng gambling legislation were previously held in March 2023, where representatives from diverse sectors—including casinos, horseracing, sports betting, limited payout machines, bingo, and the manufacturer/supplier segment—presented their views to the Committee.
umAfrika and SAGMA expressed their gratitude to the Committee for including the manufacturer/supplier sector in this critical legislative review process. They look forward to continued collaboration with the Committee to enhance the regulatory environment, ensuring it is efficient, effective, and conducive to the success of the Gauteng gambling industry. The Committee will continue their legislative review through the remainder of the year by engaging with other industry stakeholders as well as the Gauteng Department of Economic Development and the Gauteng Gambling Board.
30 MARCH 2025
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