IGT files patent infringement lawsuit against Aristocrat
It wouldn’t be the Global Gaming Expo without a patent infringement lawsuit just prior to the opening of the casino industry’s largest tradeshow.
Late Monday, Reno-based slot machine giant International Game Technology filed suit against Australian slot machine maker Aristocrat Leisure and its American subsidiary, Aristocrat Technologies, over the company’s video poker machines.
In the lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in California, IGT claimed Aristocrat infringed on two gaming software patents.
"The lawsuit comes after failed attempts to resolve the intellectual property disputes between Aristocrat and IGT," the company said in a statement.
"We filed this case because IGT’s intellectual property is being knowingly and unfairly exploited by Aristocrat," said IGT’s Chief Legal Officer Robert Melendres.
Meanwhile, Aristocrat announced jointly with Bally Technologies Monday that the companies entered into a technology cooperation agreement relating video and touch-screen communications.
The companies said the agreement would enable casino operators to create a picture-in-picture-style interface on a slot machine, regardless of the manufacturer.
"Both our companies have decades of systems experience, and feel it is imperative we cooperate on this important issue,” said Nick Khin, president of Aristocrat America.
The Global Gaming Expo opens Tuesday at the Las Vegas Convention Center. It’s closed to the public.
