Spribe Scores Another Win in Global Fight Over Aviator Trademark

Aviator LLC has suffered another setback in its long-running trademark dispute with Spribe after a Curaçao court ordered the cancellation of two trademark registrations covering the Aviator brand.

The Court of First Instance of Curaçao ruled on May 25, 2026, that two international trademark registrations held by Aviator LLC should be removed from the Curaçao register. The decision was subsequently corrected on May 29 to address errors in the registration numbers.

The trademarks covered both a combined word-and-figurative Aviator mark and the word mark “AVIATOR,” spanning several classes including software, gaming and entertainment-related services.

Both registrations had been made in Aviator LLC’s name in 2024 and designated Curaçao through the Madrid Protocol.

Aviator LLC did not appear in the Curaçao proceedings despite being summoned, resulting in a default judgment in favor of Spribe.

Another front in the Aviator dispute

The Curaçao case is the latest development in a dispute that has expanded across multiple jurisdictions as Spribe and Aviator LLC continue to contest ownership and rights surrounding the Aviator name.

Spribe is the developer of the Aviator crash game, which has become one of the most prominent crash games in the online gambling industry. Aviator LLC, a Tbilisi-based company associated with businessman Temur Ugulava, has separately asserted rights over the Aviator brand.

The companies have pursued competing trademark claims in a number of jurisdictions, producing conflicting outcomes.

In Georgia, Aviator LLC previously secured a major victory. A Court of First Instance ruling found that Spribe's Georgian trademarks had been registered in bad faith and infringed Aviator LLC's copyright. The ruling awarded Aviator LLC $330 million in damages, with Georgia's Supreme Court upholding the decision in May 2025.

The dispute has produced a different trajectory in the UK.

In July 2025, the UK High Court granted Spribe an interim injunction preventing Aviator LLC from launching a competing crash game in Britain. More recently, in May 2026, Deputy Judge Michael Tappin KC ruled that findings from the Georgian proceedings could not simply be applied under English law.

A full UK trial concerning ownership of the Aviator brand is expected in late 2026 or early 2027.

Curaçao registrations challenged

The Curaçao proceedings centered on two registrations.

One was international registration IR 1822051, covering a combined Aviator word and figurative mark in classes 9, 28 and 41. The other was IR 1827771, covering the AVIATOR word mark in classes 9, 41 and 42.

According to the judgment, one of the registrations was initially filed by Rational Intellectual Holdings Limited before being transferred to Aviator LLC in March 2025.

Spribe argued that the registrations had been obtained without its consent and pointed to its own earlier Curaçao trademark registration, IR 1759803, which was granted in August 2023.

The Curaçao court ultimately ordered the disputed registrations to be cancelled.

Aviator LLC was also ordered to cover Spribe's legal costs, initially set at slightly more than Cg 2,196, or approximately €1,063, with additional costs possible if the judgment requires formal service. The Bureau for Intellectual Property in Curaçao has recorded the invalidation as effective from May 25, 2026.

More than 120 trademark challenges

The ruling is significant because the Curaçao case forms part of a much broader campaign surrounding the Aviator name.

According to the judgment, Spribe has filed more than 120 opposition proceedings worldwide against Aviator LLC's trademark applications and national designations.

Aviator LLC has continued pursuing its own legal strategy. In May, the company confirmed separate legal action against betting operator Betway in South Africa concerning the alleged use of Aviator branding.

The competing proceedings highlight the difficulty of establishing global ownership of a commercially valuable gambling brand when trademark rights, licensing arrangements and court decisions differ between jurisdictions.

For Spribe, the Curaçao ruling adds another favorable decision to its international campaign. However, it does not settle the wider dispute over who ultimately holds the rights to the Aviator brand.

With proceedings continuing in other jurisdictions, including the anticipated UK trial, the battle over one of iGaming's most recognizable game names is likely to continue well beyond the Curaçao judgment.