Aristocrat and Ainsworth Agree Patent Licence Deal in Australia
Ainsworth secures rights to Aristocrat's Hold & Spin technology and responsible gaming intellectual property in an £8.5m Australian dollar agreement.
Australian gaming developer Ainsworth Game Technology has entered into a licensing agreement with Aristocrat Technologies Australia covering key gameplay intellectual property.
Under the arrangement, Ainsworth gains a royalty-bearing licence to Aristocrat’s gameplay patent collection—including its Hold & Spin family—within the Australian market. Aristocrat has also granted Ainsworth a royalty-free licence to its responsible gaming patents.
The agreement releases both suppliers from all claims concerning past use of the licensed patents, alongside a mutual non-challenge covenant over the relevant intellectual property. Over the three-and-a-half-year duration of the deal, Ainsworth will pay Aristocrat AU$8.5m in scheduled instalments. Further financial and operational terms remain confidential.
Strategic Certainty for Australian Operations
The agreement covers the manufacture, sale, servicing, upgrading and conversion of Ainsworth-branded electronic gaming machines, as well as digital and mobile titles in Australia. It also permits third-party manufacturing and servicing on Ainsworth's behalf.
The agreement we have entered into with Aristocrat (which is effective immediately) provides us with the certainty required to confidently implement our strategic growth initiatives in the Australian market,
said Ryan Comstock, chief executive of Ainsworth.
We have also secured pass through rights which means Ainsworth’s customers, distributors and venues are automatically licensed to use, operate, service and resell units supplied during the term of the agreement giving our customers certainty of title as well as continuity.
Protecting Intellectual Property
The licensing structure allows Ainsworth to incorporate established mechanics directly into its product lineup, while safeguarding Aristocrat's research and development investment.
Matthew Primmer, chief product officer at Aristocrat, added:
We welcome this arrangement with Ainsworth. Innovation and creativity sit at the heart of what we do. We are committed to protecting the great work of our dedicated creative and technical teams.
The commercial settlement follows previously announced changes to Ainsworth's leadership board earlier in the summer.
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