A dispute over the aircraft-themed branding of two competing crash games reached the Court of Appeal of England and Wales on 22 September 2026. The case could clarify how intellectual-property disputes affect gambling suppliers whose products reach customers in Great Britain.

The appeal concerns copyright, trademarks, passing off and the effect of earlier Georgian court proceedings. It does not decide whether crash games are lawful in Great Britain.

A crash game allows players to place a bet while a multiplier rises. They must cash out before the game ends at a random point.

Aviator LLC alleges that Spribe’s later Aviator game copied its artwork and related branding. Spribe denies copying and says its design was created independently.

The legal question before the court

The appeal follows a preliminary judgment by Michael Tappin KC, sitting as a Deputy High Court judge. He handed down the decision on 22 May 2026. Permission to appeal was granted before the September hearing.

The High Court did not make a final finding that Spribe had infringed, or had not infringed, Aviator’s copyright. The issue was which legal rules should determine whether earlier judgments from Georgia could prevent the parties from arguing certain matters again in England.

The High Court held that, for overseas copyright claims, the preclusive effect of the Georgian proceedings should be assessed under the law applicable to the relevant foreign claim. Aviator challenges that approach. It argues that English law should govern the issue-estoppel question because England is the forum hearing the dispute.

Why Great Britain matters

The underlying proceedings include allegations about Spribe’s use of its Aviator image and aircraft device in the British market. The High Court case summary records that Spribe authorised distribution of its crash game in the United Kingdom from February 2020.

Spribe appears on the Gambling Commission’s public register with an active remote gambling software licence. The register gives the licence number as 057302-R-333085-003 and records an effective date of 8 December 2020.

The licence permits the supply of gambling software. It does not determine ownership of artwork, copyright or trademarks.

For licensed online gambling in Great Britain:

  • Relevant software suppliers must hold the appropriate Gambling Commission licence.
  • Operators must ensure that gambling software used through their services meets the Commission’s technical and licensing requirements.
  • Those regulatory duties operate separately from private intellectual-property claims.

What could change for suppliers

A ruling for either side could affect how suppliers assess branding before launching games through British operators. The immediate legal question is narrower than a general ban on crash games.

The case involves several disputed areas:

  • Copyright in artwork and related material.
  • Registered UK trademarks.
  • Passing-off claims.
  • The effect of foreign court decisions in English proceedings.

The litigation also includes counterclaims alleging trademark infringement and passing off in connection with a proposed competing Aviator-branded game. The Court of Appeal’s ruling will determine the next stage of the dispute, while the final merits of the infringement allegations remain contested.

The official case listing records the appeal hearing and the earlier permission to appeal. It does not record a final appellate judgment. Until judgment is handed down, suppliers and operators face legal uncertainty rather than a confirmed change to Great Britain’s gambling rules.