Svenska Spel loses appeal in legal dispute with ATG
The gambling operator was ruled to have infringed on an ATG patent.
Sweden.- The state-controlled gambling operator Svenska Spel has lost its appeal in a patent battle with the horseracing betting operator Aktiebolaget Trav och Galopp. ATG had sued its fellow former monopoly operator over its use of the phrase “Trav och Galopp” in a racing product that it launched with France’s Pari-Mutuel Urbain (PMU) in September 2020.
ATG argued that the use of the slogan, which means “trot and gallop” infringed on its company name. The Patent and Market Court of Appeal agreed, but Svenska Spel launched an appeal. The Supreme Court of Sweden has now rejected that appeal and upheld the original ruling.
ATG CEO Hans Lord Skarplöth said: “That the Supreme Court followed our line was expected. It can never be okay to use someone else’s company name, and it feels good that the matter is now settled once and for all. It was important to establish that a competitor does not have the right to use our company name and exploit its good reputation.”
ATG stance on proposed gambling tax hike
Meanwhile, Skarplöth has urged the Swedish government to consider a differentiated tax rate for sports betting amid proposals to hike gambling tax. He noted that some other countries currently have different tax rates for sports betting and igaming.
The Swedish government has proposed a four-point increase in gambling tax from 18 per cent to 22 per cent. To be implemented from July 1, 2024, the move is expected to generate an extra SEK540m (€45.5m) in annual tax revenue.
