Supreme Court of Georgia rejects Spribe appeal in trademark dispute with Aviator
A final ruling by the Supreme Court of Georgia has invalidated Spribe’s Aviator trademarks, reinforcing Aviator’s IP claims in its country of origin and bolstering related actions in other jurisdictions.
Key points:
– Georgia’s Supreme Court dismisses Spribe’s appeal, upholding the invalidation of its Aviator trademarks
– Court confirms trademarks were registered in bad faith and violated Aviator’s copyright
– Decision strengthens Aviator’s legal standing in ongoing EUIPO proceedings and other cases
The Supreme Court of Georgia has dismissed Spribe’s appeal in a long-running intellectual property dispute with Aviator, cementing a prior ruling that found Spribe’s Aviator trademarks to be invalid.
The decision, issued on 20 May, confirms that the trademarks were registered in bad faith and infringed on Aviator’s copyright protections.
The case concerns the rights to the “Aviator” name and accompanying airplane imagery, which have been central to a widely known crash-style online casino game.
Aviator, the original IP owner based in Georgia, had previously secured a $330m ruling in damages against Spribe and Flutter-owned operator Adjarabet in August 2024.
The Court of First Instance at the time had also ordered the invalidation of the contested trademarks and called for Adjarabet to cease using the Aviator branding on its site. However, it is important to note that Adjarabet and Aviator settled earlier this year.
Good to know: The Supreme Court’s dismissal of Spribe’s appeal finalises the matter in Georgia, which is the jurisdiction of origin for the Aviator brand
Aviator says this decision will have implications beyond the domestic market. A spokesperson indicated that the ruling could influence similar proceedings at the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), where Aviator has filed to invalidate Spribe’s trademark registrations within the European market.
EUIPO proceedings remain ongoing, with Spribe reportedly requesting multiple deadline extensions to respond to Aviator’s allegations. These include claims of unauthorised use of the Aviator name and imagery across European platforms.
While Spribe is currently contesting legal claims in several markets, the Georgian ruling further entrenches Aviator’s legal position as the legitimate IP holder.
The company, represented by Georgian law firm Mikadze Gegetchkori Taktakishvili, has confirmed its intention to continue pursuing trademark enforcement across all jurisdictions where disputes are active.
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