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You are here: BAILII >> Databases >> United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office Decisions >> IGT (Patent) [2007] UKIntelP o16707 (13 June 2007)
URL: http://www.bailii.org/uk/cases/UKIntelP/2007/o16707.html
Cite as: [2007] UKIntelP o16707
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IGT [2007] UKIntelP o16707 (13 June 2007)
For the whole decision click here: o16707
Patent decision
- BL number
- O/167/07
- Concerning rights in
- GB 0504887.1
- Hearing Officer
- Mr P Marchant
- Decision date
- 13 June 2007
- Person(s) or Company(s) involved
- IGT
- Provisions discussed
- PA Act 1977 Section 1(2)
- Keywords
- Excluded fields (refused)
- Related Decisions
- None
Summary
The application is concerned with a method of operating gaming machines in which players are offered games in which they can exercise a level of skill, strategy or risk. A proportion of the award (whether won or lost) from this play is fed into a steadily increasing jackpot, and the player is then able to win the jackpot in games based only on chance. The underlying idea is that regular players are attracted by the element of skill, strategy and risk, but new players who will be less successful where this element is involved, are not disadvantaged in the long run. The hearing officer applied the four part test set out in the Aerotel and Macrossan judgment, found the invention to be excluded as a method of playing a game or doing business, and refused the application.