Colossus Bets, a global provider of sports jackpots and gaming technology, said it’s stepping up efforts to defend its intellectual property, filing a patent infringement lawsuit against DraftKings in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware.
The suit involves seven patents in sports betting and gaming products that include a Cash Out feature.
The U.S. filing follows recent legal action taken against Tabcorp in Australia. Colossus said holds an extensive patent portfolio globally on sports bets and games incorporating Cash Out, including whether or not the Cash Out feature is used by the player.
Colossus first notified DraftKings of its patent rights as early as 2018 and has since provided numerous notices of ongoing infringement. Regarding the decision to file suit, Bernard Marantelli, Founder of Colossus Bets and inventor of the patents-in-suit stated, “We attempted to resolve this amicably and we gave them ample opportunity to do so.”
Because DraftKings has continued offering its products despite repeated notices of infringement, Colossus is seeking to recover all damages available by law, including increased damages for willful and deliberate infringement. Given the scope of Colossus’ patent portfolio, this will have implications for the entire gaming industry and multi-billion US market.
Bernard Marantelli added: “We take our intellectual property very seriously. This is the next step towards protecting our rights and income across the industry in the US.”
Colossus Bets had previously announced patent licences with bet365 and Esports Technologies. Beyond the US, Colossus’ patent portfolio covers Australia, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Indonesia, South Africa, Singapore, Nigeria, and Eurasia (EAPO).
