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Planet Bingo(TM) Announces Appeal
Planet Bingo(TM), a developer and manufacturer of bingo gaming products, today announced its intention of appealing a judgment by the District Court in Las Vegas in favor of GameTech International, Inc.
Planet Bingo(TM), a developer and manufacturer of bingo gaming products, today announced its intention of appealing a judgment by the District Court in Las Vegas in favor of GameTech International, Inc. The judgment addressed claims that GameTech and others infringed two patents exclusively licensed to Planet Bingo. Planet Bingo(TM) brought suit in 2001, following GameTech's attempts to market a competitor to Planet Bingo's highly-successful MPBingo(R) game.
MPBingo(R) is a linked, multi-progressive game which allows operators to offer large jackpots. To date, GameTech has not successfully concluded a single sale of its competitor game, and it is unclear whether GameTech even retains a commitment to that game.
Planet Bingo(TM) respectfully disagrees with the ruling. As it has already notified the Court and GameTech, Planet Bingo(TM) intends to appeal the judgment to the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Planet Bingo(TM) is optimistic about its appeal. Planet Bingo(TM) counsel Jeffrey Weiss, who will be handling the appeal and who has previously successfully argued before the Federal Circuit, commented: "The judgment represents another milestone in more than three years of litigation. It is by no means the last milestone, however. The Federal Circuit will have the final word, and we do not expect to see the appeal resolved for about a year. When that process is concluded, it is our belief that Planet Bingo's claims of patent infringement will be vindicated."
Rick White, Planet Bingo's(TM) President, took the judgment in stride. "We have seen lots of ups and downs in this lawsuit. Earlier in the case, the Court denied GameTech's non-infringement and validity motions, but we did not claim victory at that time. The Court has now reached a different result, which we respect but disagree with. However, it is still premature to declare a winner or loser in this long battle. What is important is who is winning when the buzzer sounds - not who is leading after three quarters of a four quarter game."
The judgment does not affect Planet Bingo's(TM) ability to continue manufacturing and marketing MPBingo(R) or any other products. Consistent with this judgment as well as any ruling on the appeal, Planet Bingo(TM) intends to continue to fully and fairly enforce its patent rights.
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