Shuffle Master sues app developer

Las Vegas-based casino supplier Shuffle Master Inc. has launched litigation against app developer Avalinx LLC, alleging trademark and copyright infringement.

In a suit filed in a Las Vegas court Tuesday, Shuffle Master claimed that Avalinx had developed and sold mobile applications for Apple iPhone, iTouch and iPad devices that infringed on its rights.

The trademarks and copyrights at issue cover Shuffle Master’s Let It Ride and Three Card Poker table games, which are licensed to casinos worldwide.

Play-for-fun versions of some Shuffle Master games, including Three Card Poker, are also offered on Shuffle Master’s website.

Dublin, Ohio-based Avalinx is accused of selling through the Apple iTunes online store mobile apps featuring electronic casino games “Let ‘Em Ride Pro” and “3 Card Pro” – applications Shuffle Master says infringed on its rights.

Avalinx additionally appears to have copied its “Let ‘Em Ride Pro” image from the genuine “Let It Ride” image on Shuffle Master’s website, the lawsuit charges.

“Defendant misappropriated plaintiff’s intellectual property for its own financial gain by misleading consumers into falsely believing that its mobile applications were sold by or licensed from plaintiff,” the suit says.

“Defendant subsequently removed the infringing applications from the iTunes application store, but only after plaintiff demanded their removal,” the lawsuit notes.

“Defendant’s conduct was patently egregious and plaintiff requests relief to compensate plaintiff for damages caused by defendant and to prevent defendant from further misappropriating plaintiff’s valuable intellectual property,” says the suit, which seeks unspecified damages.

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