Malta's First Hall Civil Court issued a provisional injunction on 1 September against three entities linked to Aviator Studio: Aviator Studio Limited, Aviator Studio Holding Limited and Aviator Studio USA Limited. The court found that use of the Aviator brand creates a risk of confusion with two Spribe trademarks registered in the EU.
The order requires immediate cessation of identical or similar marks in connection with online gaming products and services. The companies must also shut down the aviator.studio website and any other resources bearing a similar trademark. The court cited the identical Aviator name, visual similarity of aeroplane imagery, and audiovisual elements of the game. Evidence of confusion included both games appearing together in search results on Betsson and EuroCasino, and an instance where Spribe's game was attributed to Aviator Studios on the LuckyStreak site.
The court noted that infringement is already occurring in the EU through EuroCasino in Malta and Betsson in Sweden and Finland. Aviator Studio Limited recently obtained a B2B licence from the Malta Gaming Authority, opening the door to further European distribution.
Spribe founder David Natroshvili called the Maltese ruling "further momentum" following a series of favourable outcomes. A UK hearing on Spribe's application for a multi-jurisdictional preliminary injunction is scheduled for October. The Maltese injunction is provisional — Aviator Studio may appeal, and Spribe must file a substantive claim within 31 days of the order.
The legal dispute began in August 2024 when a Georgian court ruled that Spribe's Georgian trademarks had been registered in bad faith. Courts in the UK, Curaçao and now Malta have ruled in Spribe's favour.
