WagerLogic launches Marvel arbitration
CryptoLogic subsidiary WagerLogic has commenced arbitration proceedings against comic-book licence holders Marvel Enterprises Inc and Marvel Enterprises BV after an alleged breach of contract.
CRYPTOLOGIC subsidiary WagerLogic has commenced arbitration proceedings against comic-book licence holders Marvel Enterprises Inc and Marvel Enterprises BV.
The wholly-owned subsidiary claims that Marvel breached its 2005 deal with Marvel Enterprises Inc. The deal was for WagerLogic to be the “sole developer of Marvel-branded casino slot games on the Internet”.
CryptoLogic signed it in October 2005, and subsequently released 17 titles based on Marvel Comics superheroes including Spider-Man, Hulk and The Fantastic Four.
CryptoLogic extended the deal with Marvel in June 2009, despite not having produced a Marvel-branded slot since December 2008.
The renewal followed rival casino software business Playtech inking an “exclusive multi-year licensing agreement” with Marvel Entertainment’s Netherlands-based subsidiary, Marvel Characters BV, to produce Marvel-branded casino, poker and bingo games across its web, TV and mobile platforms in March 2008.
In February 2009, CryptoLogic also revealed that it had signed a deal with Marvel’s rival DC Comics and Warner Bros Digital Distribution to develop casino games based on DC superheroes such as Superman and Batman.
The arbitration proceedings have been launched under the JAMS Comprehensive Rules in New York. JAMS is the largest private provider of mediation and arbitration services in the US.
CryptoLogic said in a statement today that it had been “sought to resolve the issue without resorting to arbitration [but] the company has been left with no alternative to taking this step to protect its licensing rights and commercial interests.”