A jury in U.S. Federal District Court in Pennsylvania on Friday concluded that JVL Corporation had willingly infringed multiple patented inventions by Merit Industries, and awarded substantial damages.   After hearing evidence for over two weeks, the jury deliberated for just one afternoon before returning a verdict which included the finding that JVL’s conduct, beginning over a decade ago, demonstrates they intentionally violated the patent laws of the United States by illegally selling products that use Merit’s patented technologies.  The law requires a jury to have “clear and convincing evidence” to find willfulness, which they did.

“Merit is committed to upholding the values of fair competition embodied in the laws of the United States,” said Michael Maas, President & CEO of Merit.  “When others do not respect those laws, Merit will take action to assure justice and require future fair play.”

The jury found that JVL began infringing Merit’s intellectual property in 1998 with the Concord 2 product, and continued utilizing some of Merit’s patented technology until recently with the iTouch product lines.  Among other things, this finding means that JVL cannot legally offer automated tournament sequencing features in the US, as patented by Merit; JVL was forced to eliminate this popular feature from its very recent products and will not be able to reintroduce it in the future.

“I truly thank the 8 jurors and Judge Savage for their extensive time and efforts to resolve this important matter,” Maas added.

Atronic hosted a special customer event for leading casino directors and slot managers on May 8 in Madrid, reinforcing the Company’s commitment to the Spanish gaming market.

Opened by Atronic’s CEO, Gerhard Burda, the event gave Atronic the opportunity to present its latest products developed for the Spanish market and to inform customers of the recent GTECH acquisition of the Atronic Group. Burda also assured the customers that Atronic is committed to retaining the great service already being provided in the market and will continue to provide exciting products to suit this growing market.
 
It was not all speeches though as attendees also had the chance to see and play some of the latest Atronic games and to win some typical Austrian delicacies and gift packages. Atronic’s Spanish Sales Agent, Javier Sevillano, said, “The event was a great success. A large majority of Spanish casino operators attended and all were very happy with the information provided to them. We received very good feedback about the support Atronic offers to Spain and our customers expect that we will continue keep up to date with the market and maintain our position by developing new products.”  

In support of Atronic, Slot Manager for Casino de Juego Gran Madrid S.A, Mr Angel Garcia, commented, “The presentation of the Atronic Group was very interesting. Aside from seeing how the company has evolved over the time, we have since seen how it has adapted to the demands of the market with their products of doubtless quality, which positions Atronic as a powerful alternative to other products already in our market. Thanks to their dedication, we have seen them shape many different products in a relatively short period of time. This is very positive for us as it allows us to offer new features on an ongoing basis to our clients.” 

With orders from Kazakhstan to California, and from Kuwait to Cornwall, the worldwide popularity of the Elton Derby show’s no sign of diminishing.  The latest game, the fourth in a month, to leave Elton HQ is bound for Kuwait.  Purchased on behalf of the official Tourism Board in Kuwait, Touristic Enterprises,  the 10 Player Derby is due to arrive in early August.  This Skating Cow themed Derby is the 20th  Elton game to be installed in the Middle East Region where the playability, longevity and sheer appeal of the Derby attracts players of all ages.

Elton Games Limited are the manufactures and sellers of competitive group amusement games. Our exclusive products include the operator controlled Elton Derby and the 6 Player Gold Cup.  Established in 1972 in North West, England we have installed  more than 400 games in over 50 countries worldwide.  Elton's customers are operators of Amusement Parks and Family Entertainment Centres.  Some of the World Famous locations with Elton Products include; Circus Circus in Las Vegas, Parque Warner Madrid  in Spain, Blackpool Pleasure Beach and Alton Towers in the UK.

Manage PHOTO PLAY terminals easily and professionally

funservice is funworld’s new, web-based administration tool, which operators can use to easily and quickly make many settings on their own on networked PHOTO PLAY terminals. The online management system gives a detailed overview of the terminal’s performance and makes individual settings possible in the tournament area. It serves to successfully communicate with players and to document current statistics for sustainable player support.

Operators can log on to www.funservice.com at any time and manage their personal PHOTO PLAY settings. “The new remote set-up makes possible extensive problem-free and uncomplicated terminal settings. Play, prize, language, tournament and credit settings can be easily carried out from the office,” declares Josef Öhlinger, CEO funworld ag, and continues:

“Operators can for example activate or deactivate games, create their own tournaments or send messages to players. They hence actively design the PHOTO PLAY game offer and provide their players with a custom-tailored gaming experience.” 

Player communication and long-term bonding
The new funservice is a further development of the 2007 prototype, which was vastly improved and equipped with numerous additional features as a result of incorporating player and customer feedback. In Germany this includes a webshop and news area, where operators can find attractive merchandising items and important news. 

“With the extensive enhanced administration tool operators can however not only manage PHOTO PLAY terminals themselves without a great deal of effort, but also optimally support players via the integrated player database. The messaging function moreover enables players to systematically communicate and keep regularly updated. In addition, their own tournaments are organised effortlessly, which significantly contributes to long-term player bonding,” emphasises Öhlinger.   

The first operators are already intensively using the new online management system and are enthusiastic about the tool’s clear design and ease of use. The payment accounting and tournament organisation options are used most often, and the communication function is also quite appreciated.

Atronic Systems’ Chain Reaction™ went live for the Schleswig-Holstein Spielbanken group in their Flensburg casino in April.

Players at Casino Flensburg now have the chance to share in the winnings with Atronic Systems’ Chain Reaction™ Mystery Jackpot concept. Schleswig-Holstein has chosen a Chain Reaction™ jackpot wheel with 12 sectors, which includes two Chain Reaction™ symbols and monetary prizes starting at 20 euros up to 100 euros.

The Chain Reaction™ bank consists of ten slot machines with a 10cent denomination and includes 2 large overhead TFT screens displaying animation themes and celebration wins. The link has been configured to ‘hit’ approximately every hour including a Chain Reaction™ hit every six to seven hours.

Slot Director for Schleswig-Holstein, Mr Meik Lorenzen, said, “We are always looking out for new things for our players and we really liked the concept of ‘Shared winnings’ that Chain Reaction offers.”

Schleswig-Holstein already operates with several of Atronic Systems’ GALAXIS™ modules including Star|SLOTS, Star|MARKETING and Star|CASHLESS. They were the first user, in Germany, of the Atronic Systems cashless solution chip cash™ and the second to install Chain Reaction™.

Atronic Systems’ Regional Sales Manager, Alex van den Brul, commented, “We are very pleased with the inclusion of Chain Reaction into Casino Flensburg. Schleswig-Holstein is an important customer for us as we receive great feedback with regards to our system solutions, both positive and constructive. We are always working closely with them and appreciate all comments given about our products. The group operations are well maintained and they have a slot mix based on their players needs.”