The Court of First Instance in Curaçao has declared two trademark registrations held by Aviator LLC for the Aviator brand invalid, marking a pivotal moment in the ongoing intellectual property dispute with SPRIBE, the developer of the popular Aviator crash game.
This ruling enhances SPRIBE's legal standing in Curaçao, although the wider conflict over the Aviator brand remains unsettled in various other jurisdictions.
On May 25, 2026, the Curaçao court issued a default judgment that resulted in the cancellation of the two Aviator trademarks registered by Aviator LLC under the Madrid Protocol. Just four days later, another ruling addressed some administrative errors regarding the registration numbers of the trademarks.
The canceled trademarks include International Registration (IR) 1822051, which safeguards the composite word-and-figurative Aviator mark across Classes 9, 28, and 41, and IR 1827771, which concerns the AVIATOR word mark in Classes 9, 41, and 42. Both of these registrations were submitted in 2024, with Curaçao indicated as a protected jurisdiction. Notably, Aviator LLC did not appear in court despite being formally summoned.
Additionally, the court ordered Aviator LLC to reimburse SPRIBE for its legal expenses, and the Curaçao Bureau for Intellectual Property has officially documented the trademark cancellations as of May 25, 2026.
The ruling represents just one part of a broader, intricate legal dispute that spans multiple jurisdictions. SPRIBE has claimed that the contested trademarks were registered without its approval. One of the registrations was initially filed by Rational Intellectual Holdings Limited before being transferred to Aviator LLC in March 2025. SPRIBE also possesses an earlier Curaçao trademark, IR 1759803, registered in August 2023, reinforcing its claim to prior rights in the jurisdiction.
Court documents further reveal a connection between Aviator LLC and SPRIBE's former Georgian licensee, which was also titled Aviator LLC and currently operates as AB Georgia LLC. Under licensing agreements established in 2018 and 2021, the company was permitted to operate the Aviator game exclusively in Georgia and Armenia.
While the Curaçao court's decision is a win for SPRIBE, the litigation surrounding the Aviator brand has produced mixed results internationally. In Georgia, the Court of First Instance ruled in August 2024 that SPRIBE had filed its trademark registrations in bad faith, infringing on Aviator LLC’s copyright, and awarded $330 million in damages. This decision was upheld by the Georgian Supreme Court in May 2025.
In contrast, SPRIBE has achieved more favorable outcomes in the United Kingdom. In July 2025, the High Court granted an interim injunction preventing Aviator LLC from launching a competing crash game in the UK. More recently, in May 2026, the court ruled that findings from the Georgian litigation could not be automatically recognized under English law, allowing the UK case to move forward independently. A comprehensive trial in the UK to resolve ownership of the Aviator brand is projected for late 2026 or early 2027.
As per the Curaçao judgment, SPRIBE has initiated over 120 trademark opposition proceedings globally against registrations made by Aviator LLC, as well as their national extensions. Meanwhile, Aviator LLC is actively pursuing its own legal strategy; in May, they disclosed that they filed separate legal action against Betway in South Africa, asserting unauthorized use of its branding.
As legal proceedings continue across multiple regions, this dispute remains one of the most monitored intellectual property struggles within the global iGaming industry, with impending rulings likely to influence the commercial rights associated with one of online gaming's highest-grossing titles.
