Aviator LLC responds after Spribe grounds rival in UK IP battle ahead of trial
Crash games pioneer Spribe was last week granted an interim injunction by the UK High Court blocking Aviator LLC from launching a competing product ahead of an intellectual property dispute going to trial in 2026.
The dispute originated in the two companies’ native Georgia but spilled over into the UK after Aviator LLC initiated proceedings in late 2024. However, Spribe struck the first blow with a counterclaim, filed in April, which resulted in Judge Anthony Mann issuing an interim injunction on 31 July to block Aviator LLC from launching a competing crash game in the UK market.
Spribe founder David Natroshvili claimed the interim injunction shows the UK court supports the supplier’s position.
“Spribe created the Aviator crash game in 2018 and is the sole owner of the game globally,” Natroshvili said. “We will continue to take all necessary steps globally to protect Spribe, our partners and players from any third parties who seek to undermine or infringe our rights.”
The ruling means Spribe does not face any competition from a “copycat” title launched by Aviator LLC ahead of a trial. Sources close to the case suggest the trial will start either late next year or early 2027 and is likely to last a number of weeks.
Aviator LLC is looking to highlight that Spribe was required to give an undertaking to provide compensation if the interim injunction was later found to be wrongfully granted. However, this is normal and expected under UK civil procedure. It is used as a safeguard to balance the fact that interim injunctions are granted before a full trial where complete arguments are heard.
Aviator LLC claims it was not planning on launching a crash game
Spribe’s response to the ruling has been widely shared in industry media. It centres around Aviator LLC intending to release its “copycat” crash game in the UK under the Aviator brand and engaging in what Spribe claims are “promotional communications” targeting Spribe’s UK customers.
“This copycat game is not authorised by Spribe,” the supplier said. “It blatantly infringes the copyright works which Spribe owns in its game and seeks to misappropriate the goodwill which Spribe has created in its Aviator brand.”
This necessitated the interim injunction to “prevent the clear risk of reputational and financial damage” from Aviator LLC, Spribe added.
Aviator LLC said it does not intend to launch a competing crash game in the UK, although it continues to assert its ownership over the Aviator-branded crash game.
No GB licence for Aviator LLC … yet
As first reported by Law360, Aviator LLC’s argument against the interim injunction focused on the improbability of it applying for a licence before the case went to trial.
Aviator’s Malta-based subsidiary of Aviator Studio Holding Limited (Malta) has not yet applied for a Gambling Commission licence and argued the process would not be completed before the IP trial.
“The restriction imposed on Aviator LLC aligns with the fact that Aviator had already decided it was not going to launch a game in the UK anyway, nor will its licensee at this time,” the company said.
“The judge accepted the evidence presented by Aviator LLC confirming that the licensing process typically takes around a year,” it continued. “No such licence has been applied for, and no company has yet been formed for that purpose. It is therefore highly likely that the trial will conclude before any licence application is processed, rendering the interim injunction commercially irrelevant.”
However, Aviator LLC did point out that there was nothing to stop it from applying for a Gambling Commission licence ahead of the trial.
More details on the case
In its statement, Aviator LLC also looked to highlight several elements rejected from Spribe’s counterclaim by Judge Mann.
It claims Spribe also requested that Aviator LLC be blocked from:
- Offering and/or promoting the Aviator Studio crash game to UK consumers.
- Distributing any emails or press releases in the UK.
- Making any statements – public or private – asserting Aviator LLC’s ownership of the Aviator IP.
- Stating that Spribe isn’t the rightful owner of said IP.
- Posting any of the above-mentioned statements on the aviator.studio website.
Sources close to the case wouldn’t comment on the specifics of the claim but said Judge Mann believed the supplier was adequately projected by the interim injunction. The judge’s full written decision is expected to be published later this week.
Spribe is represented by Benet Brandreth KC and Christopher Hall of 11 South Square, instructed by Bird & Bird in the case. Aviator LLC is represented by Simon Malynicz KC and Gwilym Harbottle of Hogarth Chambers, instructed by Allen Overy Shearman Sterling.
Georgian IP dispute spills over into other markets
The ongoing dispute began in Spribe and Aviator LLC’s home country of Georgia. It became widely known after the Court of the First Instance ruled in favour of Aviator LLC, the former owner of the country’s leading gambling operator Adjarabet, since acquired by Flutter. It awarded the claimant €330 million in damages and invalidated trademark registrations for the Aviator crash game.
That €330 million figure is the same amount Flutter paid to acquire Adjarabet in 2019.
Spribe launched the game in 2019 and it quickly became a hugely successful product across the world. The Aviator game is certified in more than 40 jurisdictions and played by more than 35 million players every month across more than 4,500 brands, according to the supplier.
However, the Georgian judgment, according to sources at the time, stemmed from an agreement for Adjarabet to offer the Aviator crash game in Georgia and Armenia under an exclusive agreement.
This agreement only covered those two markets and did not stop Spribe from launching Aviator – and registering its trademark – elsewhere, sources told iGB. Furthermore, Aviator is no longer available in the Georgian market.
Aviator LLC later announced a settlement with Flutter, under which it would supply Aviator-branded crash games to the gaming giant. Flutter has been contacted for clarity on the agreement.
At the time the news broke, individuals familiar with Georgia’s legal system said the case, which Spribe continues to fight, could take up to three years to conclude. They also pointed out the First Instance judgment came after around eight months, far quicker than the usual 16-18 month turnaround for similar cases.
Aviator LLC claims to have filed similar suits in other markets, although it has not yet said where.