Spribe Secures Procedural Victory in UK Aviator Copyright Battle

Spribe has gained a major procedural win in its ongoing copyright fight against Aviator LLC in London’s High Court. 

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The dispute, centered on the rights to the Aviator crash game, took a new turn when Deputy Judge Michael Tappin KC ruled on 22 May that foreign law, not English law, will govern key aspects of the case. 

This decision could shape how judgments from Georgian courts are treated and whether they can block parts of the dispute from being re‑argued elsewhere. 

Why does this ruling matter?

The ruling is key because Aviator LLC, created by Georgian businessman Temur Ugulava, is pursuing claims not only in the UK but also in other countries under the Berne Convention.

At the heart of the case is ownership of the plane image that defines Aviator‑branded crash games, now one of the most successful online casino titles worldwide. Spribe, which distributes its own Aviator game across multiple markets, insists it holds the trademarks and denies copying. 

The company had already secured an interim injunction against Aviator LLC last August, keeping the contested game in play until the full trial. 

By winning this procedural point, Spribe has strengthened its position ahead of the next stage of the legal battle, where the question of who truly owns the Aviator image will be tested more directly.

Aviator’s separate application for preliminary hearing rejected 

Aviator LLC had pressed the court to apply English law when deciding whether rulings from Georgian courts could block parts of the copyright case. 

Deputy Judge Michael Tappin KC disagreed, holding that EU‑derived private international law rules still form part of English law and require judges to look at the law of each country where copyright protection is claimed. 

He explained, “…a rule of law relating to preclusive effect, which states whether a party is prevented from disputing (or establishing, as the case may be) one or more elements of a cause of action for an infringement of an intellectual property right, is part of the applicable law under Articles 8 and 15.”

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Alongside that finding, Tappin also refused Aviator’s request for a preliminary hearing on ownership. 

He said the matter was too closely tied to disputed facts and Georgian law to be separated from the rest of the trial, adding, “I can see no reason why ownership should be plucked out from all the other issues and decided in advance.”

The court left questions of ownership, infringement, and whether Spribe copied Aviator branding for the full trial still to come.

Aviator LLC involved in another lawsuit

The latest ruling in London came just as Aviator LLC confirmed it had launched a separate case against betting giants Betway in South Africa.

The company accuses the operator of using protected visual elements tied to the AVIATOR brand without permission. The dispute began with a cease‑and‑desist notice, but Aviator says Betway’s response failed to resolve matters, leaving litigation as the only option. 

Aviator insists it owns global copyright in the AVIATOR logo and holds trademarks across several African jurisdictions. 

Speaking to iGamingAfrika, CEO George Pruidze explained, “Our intention in engaging with partners has never been to escalate matters into court proceedings.”

“From the outset, our priority has been to resolve matters professionally and constructively, in a manner that protects the mutual interests of all parties involved while safeguarding the integrity of the AVIATOR brand and its intellectual property rights. Unfortunately, Betway’s response and continued actions left us with no reasonable alternative but to pursue legal action.”

Aviator has warned that the case could result in an injunction blocking further use of its assets, alongside claims for damages and recovery of profits.

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Source: Next.io