Gaming machine manufacturer Konami has been told to pay Aristocrat a record of almost $36m after a Federal Court ruling which followed a decade-long legal battle over copyright infringement. Aristocrat was also awarded its legal costs, including a portion on an indemnity basis.
On 15 December 2022, Justice Nicholas of the Federal Court of Australia awarded Aristocrat Technologies Pty Limited both an account of profits and damages arising from Konami Australia Pty Limited’s infringement of Aristocrat’s patent over its Hyperlink technology.
Hyperlink technology connects entire banks of gaming machines to a progressive four-level jackpot.
Aristocrat succeeded in the Federal Court both at first instance and on appeal in finding that Konami had infringed the Hyperlink patent before the Court moved to consider the quantum aspects.
“We are very pleased to have achieved this result in conjunction with our client Aristocrat,” Aristocrat’s Gilbert + Tobin partner, John Lee, said.
“In my experience, this is likely to be a record award of compensation for a claim of this type. Aristocrat invests considerable resources in research and innovation and this is an endorsement of its valuable IP (intellectual property).”
The full judgment can be found at Aristocrat Technologies Australia Pty Limited v Konami Australia Pty Limited (No 4) [2022] FCA 1501.
Konami is yet to indicate if they propose to appeal. Konami’s legal representative Thomson Geer has been contacted for comment.
