Matt Bastock

Game developer Spribe has taken to LinkedIn to call out PopOk Gaming’s distribution of a crash game similar to its game Aviator, claiming it infringes intellectual property rights.

The post states, “Spribe is the sole owner of the intellectual property rights in the Aviator game, which are protected in many countries where we operate. Those rights include a number of trademark registrations for the game’s logo. In addition to that, Spribe’s game is also tested and certified in more than 30 jurisdictions.” 

Spribe Warns Operators About Unauthorized Aviator Copies

It accuses PopOK Gaming of being an unauthorized third party that reached out to Spribe’s clients and attempted to sell them a game called Aviator with a similar concept and design. These companies claim that it is the ‘authentic Aviator’ game. 

Spribe adds, “The primary purpose of this letter is to let you know that these games are not authorized by us and infringe upon Spribe’s intellectual property rights. They mislead players by falsely associating their game with our brand.” 

The Polish-headquartered company has emphasized that it is taking matters very seriously and may pursue legal action. It has urged operators to “investigate whether your platform offers any unauthorized and infringing versions of Aviator” and to subsequently remove any such games without delay. 

Last week, Spribe expanded its partnership with the UFC and added WWE. The authentic version of the Aviator game includes “Aviator | UFC Official Partners.” 

UFC bouts will feature the Aviator logo prominently on the Octagon at every event globally. In addition, the new partnership will see the UFC run Aviator-specific social media campaigns and host ‘premium hospitality experiences.’ Spribe’s partnership with WWE will showcase Aviator branding only at certain marquee events. 

Aviator is also the ‘Official Crash Game’ of Italian football behemoth AC Milan, while Spribe holds the title ‘Official Crash Game Partner.’ 

The company is no stranger to legal disputes. Georgian land-based casino operator Aviator was awarded $330 million in damages after a Georgian court found copyright and trademark infringement by Spribe. Spribe’s trademarks for its crash game were also thus invalidated. 

The casino operator has filed an invalidation action against the trademark with the European Intellectual Property Office, seeking to “challenge Spribe trademarks worldwide.” 

Flutter’s Georgian online casino Adjarabet was also ordered to cease offering the Aviator slot game. 

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Matt Bastock

Matt is a casino and sports betting expert with over two decades’ writing and editing experience. He loves getting into the nitty gritty of how casinos and sportsbooks really operate in order to make solid recommendations based on real experiences. His favourite games are blackjack and poker, and he loves watching NFL and soccer in his spare time.

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The deal centers around Spribe’s flagship casino game, Aviator. The Aviator logo will appear prominently on the Octagon at every UFC event globally. Further, UFC will run Aviator-specific social media campaigns and host premium hospitality experiences. WWE will showcase branding only at select events. 

Aviator Gains Global Exposure Through UFC and WWE Sponsorships

Spribe first partnered with the UFC in October 2023, featuring at select Pay-Per-Views and Fight Nights. The deal signed last week significantly expands the two parties’ sponsorship agreement. 

Nicholas Smith, Vice President of Global Partnerships for TKO Holdings, commented, “We’re thrilled to expand our partnership with SPRIBE across both UFC and WWE.” 

He continued, “Much like UFC and WWE, Aviator is a pioneer in its own industry, reshaping the iGaming landscape with innovative, immersive, and engaging consumer experiences. Together, UFC and WWE provide brands with access to one of the most formidable marketing portfolios in sports, and we’re looking forward to working with SPRIBE to design custom integrations within our content that will help them reach millions more consumers around the world.” 

Spribe has outlined the three main motivations behind its marketing strategy: 

• Global brand visibility
• Key markets expansion
• Customer acquisition

Although Aviator is played in over 60 countries, Spribe sees the combined reach of WWE and UFC, which covers over 170 countries, as an opportunity to satisfy all three of its aims. The release reads, ‘WWE and UFC provide Spribe with an unmatched international platform to propel continued growth for Aviator.’ The company outlines that although it has had great success in emerging gambling markets such as Brazil and India, the United States of America remains a key target.

In addition to the aforementioned marketing activations, the deal has the potential for further cross-promotions, content integrations, and co-branded campaigns.

In November 2024, Spribe announced it had become the ‘Official Crash Game Partner’ of Italian football giant AC Milan. As part of the deal, Aviator was named AC Milan’s ‘Official Crash Game.’

Legal Challenges and Trademark Disputes Surround Aviator

Georgian land-based casino operator Aviator was awarded $330 million in damages after a court found copyright and trademark infringement by Spribe. Further, Spribe’s trademarks for its crash game were invalidated. Flutter-owned Georgian online casino Adjarabet was ordered to cease operations of the Aviator crash game. 

The company has outlined plans to “challenge Spribe trademarks worldwide,” with further invalidation action against the trademark filed with the European Union Intellectual Property Office. 

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As a result of the partnership, SPRIBE’s flagship crash game Aviator has also been named as AC Milan’s Official Crash Game. 

Said to offer “new opportunities for entertainment and a closer connection to the Rossoneri world”, the sponsorship agreement is already underway with SPRIBE supporting the seven-times UEFA Champions League winners. 

Maikel Oettle, Chief Commercial Officer of AC Milan, stated: “We are thrilled to welcome SPRIBE and Aviator into the Rossoneri family. This partnership is built on the ambition to connect with our fans in fresh and engaging ways. 

“Together with SPRIBE, we aim to offer our supporters an experience that combines the thrill of the pitch with the excitement of gaming, reinforcing the bond between our Club and Rossoneri supporters worldwide.”

Since its launch in 2018, Aviator has garnered over 42 million monthly active players globally, making it one of the most popular crash games in the igaming industry. 

David Natroshvili, CEO of SPRIBE, added: “We are pioneers in the crash game format and among the development teams forging significant marketing partnerships with organisations and sports teams, like this agreement with AC Milan. 

“This partnership will help Aviator take off in the Italian market, increasing the game’s visibility among Rossoneri fans worldwide. The partnership with AC Milan, following our agreement with UFC, represents a major milestone, further establishing our presence in the sports world.”

The move sees SPRIBE continue to establish itself in the sporting world, adding to a number of sports sponsorships formed by the brand in recent months. 

Towards the end of last year, SPRIBE formed an official partnership with the UFC and has since formed several partnerships with the MMA promotion’s fighters, including Johnny Walker and Merab Dvalishvili. 

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Earlier this year, the land-based operator successfully invalidated Spribe’s trademarks for its flagship crash game Aviator before the Georgian Court of First Instance. The online casino operator has now outlined plans “to challenge Spribe trademarks worldwide”.  

Following the first successful appeal, Aviator has launched further invalidation action against the trademark with the EUIPO, arguing that the supplier registered its Aviator trademarks in bad faith and in breach of the operator’s own copyright in the EU. 

“The EUIPO action represents the logical continuation of this dispute following the court’s decision,” said Nikoloz Gogilidze, Managing Partner of Mikadze Gegetchkori Taktakishvili, which represents Aviator. 

“Our client is strongly committed to aggressively protecting its IP rights worldwide. Hence, after obtaining the first victory in Georgia where initial infringement took place, the next step is to challenge Spribe trademarks worldwide.”

Looking back at the Georgian case, Flutter became embroiled in the litigation as its Georgian online casino brand Adjarabet was ordered to cease operations of the Aviator crash game on its platform. 

The prosecutor was awarded $330m in damages after the ruling found copyright and trademark infringement and invalidated trademark registrations based on bad faith.

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The group was awarded $330m in damages after the ruling found copyright and trademark infringement and invalidated trademark registrations based on bad faith. 

One of the key elements of the case was Aviator seeking to halt Adjarabet from utilising copyrighted material by offering Spribe’s Aviator crash game.  

The Aviator brand registered by Spribe has gone on to become one of Adjarabet’s most successful crash games, the firm originally registered its own “Aviator” trademarks for computer games and gambling services, which the claimant argued were infringing on its original trademark.

Nikoloz Gogilidze, Managing Partner of the law firm Mikadze Gegetchkori Taktakishvili LLC, which represents Aviator LLC, commented on the conclusion: “We are pleased with the outcome of the court’s ruling on this claim, and we will continue to aggressively protect our client’s intellectual property from unlicensed use on any international gaming platforms.” 

The decision also invalidates the challenged trademark registrations and means that Adjarabet will be forced to no longer use the aviator branding on a game that has been so successful for its portfolio.

Flutter confirmed the acquisition of Adjarabet in 2019, using the deal as a platform to bolster its presence in the Georgian market. At the time the group underlined it was fuelled by their strategy to gain podium positions in some of the most attractive and thriving markets in igaming.

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The third partnership of its kind between SPRIBE and UFC fighters, the deal builds on the supplier’s collaboration with the promotion to bolster branding for its flagship crash game, Aviator. 

Walker – seventh in the UFC light heavyweight rankings – will take part in marketing campaigns with SPRIBE to reach players across the world, with the supplier outlining a particular focus on the Latin American market due to the fighter’s Brazilian heritage. 

Giorgi Tsutskiridze, CCO at SPRIBE, commented: “Our partnership with UFC is proving to be a huge success, in particular the ambassador fund that we have set up. Athletes such as Johnny have a massive following in our core markets and this particular deal allows us to make further inroads into Brazil. 

“Aviator delivers the fast-paced, high-octane action that UFC fans enjoy and with Johnny onboard, we can make more players aware of the game and the explosive gameplay it has to offer.” 

SPRIBE’s latest brand ambassador deal with Walker follows similar agreements with UFC light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira and bantamweight contender Merab Dvalishvili.

Walker added: “Aviator offers the same thrills as stepping into the octagon and going face to face with your opponent. I’m delighted to be helping to promote it to players in my home country of Brazil.” 

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Bringing the product to Panama continues Spribe’s mission to ‘make Aviator available to operators and players in regulated markets across the world’, with the company underlining its excitement to offer the crash game to Panama’s operators. 

Giorgi Tsutskiridze, Chief Commercial Officer at SPRIBE, stated: “There is no other game like Aviator and we are thrilled to bring the world’s number one crash game to operators and players in Panama for the very first time.

“Aviator has changed the game for online casinos, accounting for the vast majority of the GGR generated by the brands that make it available to their players. Its simplicity is its beauty – it’s an easy game to play but one that grips players like no other casino game in the market.”

Launched in 2018, Aviator has garnered an audience of over 10 million monthly players. The title allows users to set their stakes as they aim to cash out their winnings at enhanced multipliers, taking their winnings before a plane crashes out of the sky and all bets are lost. 

Tsutskiridze added: “We are really excited to see it land in operator game lobbies in Panama and for players in the country to test their nerve against the increasing multiplier like 10 million other players do each month.”

While this move sees the developer broaden Aviator’s reach in the Americas, SPRIBE has enhanced the European presence of its staple crash game in recent deals to gain approval in Portugal and Sweden.

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Activating the partnership at this weekend’s UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi, the deal will see SPRIBE receive prominent branding at select Pay-Per-Views and Fight Nights, including placement inside the Octagon for high-visibility exposure. 

“We’re thrilled to welcome SPRIBE as an official UFC partner,” commented Grant Norris-Jones, UFC Senior Vice President of Global Partnerships. 

“SPRIBE creates the kind of next-gen games that have strong appeal for UFC fans because they offer a unique experience, with exciting features, stunning graphics, and engaging gameplay. We’re excited to help them achieve a broader reach for their brand and their games.”

In addition to brand exposure, SPRIBE will also use the partnership to form branded integrations within live broadcasts of each selected Fight Night cards, while gaining an annual UFC brand ambassador fund to activate the collaboration further through appearances, content, and creative campaigns.

Having strengthened the presence of its flagship crash game product Aviator since its launch in 2018, SPRIBE will hope this deal will see UFC fans add to the already 10 million monthly users that Aviator attracts, beginning with those watching this weekend’s card as Makhachev faces Volkanovski for the second time in the headliner. 

Giorgi Tsutskiridze, CCO at SPRIBE, added: “This is a significant partnership for SPRIBE and Aviator, making more players aware of the game than ever before. Aviator is already the most-played crash game in the world with more than 10 million monthly players, but this deal with UFC will really catapult it into the stratosphere. 

“UFC is an entertainment business at heart and knows exactly how to get people on the edge of their seats by providing fast-paced action inside the Octagon. Aviator does that also, but with players able to enjoy the thrill ride of the games from their smartphone. 

“This is a strong and valuable marketing partnership for us that shows that Aviator really has hit the big time, transcending traditional gaming audiences to have mainstream appeal.”

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Keeping in line with Portugal’s recent regulatory updates – in which crash games were approved earlier this year – SPRIBE’s Aviator title has been certified for the Portuguese market by BMM Test Labs and can now be offered to operators in the nation.  

Giorgi Tsutskiridze, CCO at SPRIBE, said: “We are on a mission to launch Aviator in all regulated markets across the world so being given the green light to enter Portugal is a major moment for us. 

“Aviator offers an experience like no other – it’s fun, fast-paced and highly social. This has made it a big hit with players, but especially those in the lucrative but hard to engage millennial and generation Z demographics. 

“Operators in Portugal can now provide these experiences to these players by adding Aviator to their game lobbies for the first time, allowing them to join the 10 million players that go for the ride of their lives every month.”

Players in Portugal will soon be able to test out the igaming industry’s “original crash game”, which allows for stakes and cash out to be set at a sizable multiplier before an aeroplane crashes out of the game. 

While boasting this impressive number of monthly players, SPRIBE’s staple crash game also sees around 160,000 individual bets being placed “every minute of the day”.

Players can chat with one another using the game’s social chat room function, and can compete with each other via a live leaderboard.

Aviator’s Portuguese certification comes not long after SPRIBE targeted the Scandinavian market after receiving certification to offer the game in Sweden.  

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Through the deal, operator FSB will offer Spribe’s content to its global player base as the developer’s range of crash and instant games become available on its online casino platform. 

Brendan Courtney, Head of Casino Integrations at FSB, said: “Integrating Spribe’s catalogue of contemporary content adds further depth to our growing casino aggregation product and wider gaming technology stack.

“Spribe’s Aviator crash game has elevated the everyday gaming experience and this is something we want to deliver to our growing, global portfolio of partners and their players.”

Games to become available to FSB players worldwide include Aviator, the studio’s flagship product often hailed as the industry’s preliminary crash title, in addition to a catalogue of turbo games, poker, slots and skill games.

Giorgi Tsutskiridze, Chief Commercial Officer at Spribe, said: “Partnering with global platform provider FSB is another landmark moment for Spribe. The success of Aviator and our wider high-performance game content continues to grow and we are thrilled that these titles will now become available to FSB’s impressive range of operator partners.”

While this move impacts the developer’s audience worldwide, Spribe recently focused on Europe for the distribution of its igaming content, gaining a certificate from Gaming Associates to increase its European expansion efforts.

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