Bodog Settlement Offer Refused
The ongoing patent disputes between 1st Technology and the Bodog Entertainment
Group have gone from ugly to uglier over the past several months as the two
heads of the company face off. The CEO of Bodog, Calvin Ayre is becoming
well-known in the online casinos media for his quick temper and often biting
name-calling. The Chief at 1st Technology, Dr. Scott Lewis on the other hand is
a bit more restrained with how he words public statements, but the effect is the
same, both men aren’t willing to give an inch when it comes to settling the
patent disputes.
The latest slew of media coverage encompasses what Dr. Lewis is alleging was an
attempt by Ayre and Bodog to blackmail and bully 1st Technology into settling
the patent dispute. Ayre and his legal team offered 1st Technology a small
percentage (1 percent) of the U.S. court ruling and the ceasing of all patent
examinations if 1st Technology agreed to settle this dispute. And while 1
percent is much less than 1st Technology is willing to accept in this dispute,
the fact that Ayre has threatened to re-exam all of 1st Technology’s current
patents if the company doesn’t agree to the settlement is the part of the
dispute that Dr. Lewis alleges amounts to blackmail.
1st Technology has aggressively pursued recouping the US $47 million default
judgment that a court awarded the company in Bodog’s absence. And although 1st
Technology now owns the Bodog.com domain name as a way to recoup some of the
money owed, the fact that 1st Technology is establishing a paper trail of the
company’s finances is what has caused Ayre to really pursue resolving this
situation quickly. But Bodog’s alleged threats were not enough to entice Dr.
Lewis and 1st Technology into the discussed settlement, so the dispute between
the companies continues. |