British betting behemoth Bet365 is suing Bulgarian white label sports betting tech provider Betio after they rocked up at ICE with ‘similar’ branding.
Apparently Bet365, the UK-based betting behemoth is launching legal action against Bulgarian white label sports betting tech provider Betio.
Calvin Ayre reports that Bet365 is suing the Bulgarian outfit for intellectual property infringement. It seems the whole drama started when Betio rocked up at ICE London last week with a product and branding that looked, well, ‘more than a little similar’ to Bet365’s well-known colour scheme, layout and design format.
The reports say that, unsurprisingly, several attendees noticed Betio’s cheeky attempt to ride on Bet365’s hard-earned reputation, and the British company decided action must be taken.
Bet365 is no stranger to the Bulgarian market, having been a licensed operator there since 2016, and it seems inconceivable that the management and design team at Betio didn’t know they were creating something so similar to Bet365.
What is most shocking perhaps, is that they actually thought they could get away with using the branding in question so brazenly at the industry’s biggest convention, on Bet365’s home turf! With Bet365 having more financial resources than some small countries (see BET365 POSTS £2.45BN PROFIT AS COATES NAMED UK’S HIGHEST PAID BOSS), things don’t look good for Betio.
Surprisingly, a look at the Betio website shows that the company is still using the ‘Bet365esque’ branding on its products, suggesting they either don’t take the news seriously, or they intend to fight their corner.
Whatever happens with this specific case, it does draw attention to an issue FortuneZ has pointed out before – that companies from eastern Europe and other regions may run into issues when they try to enter western Europe and, especially, North America, where attitudes to copyright and intellectual property are often different, and companies tend to be more willing to launch legal action.
Whilst we’re looking east, there are signs that Bet365 is hoping to become the second western operator to get a Russian license (after GVC Holding’s Bwin brand which partnered with local companies Digital Betting LLC and Rambler & CO). A Russian affiliate site claims to have been informed of Bet365’s Russian intentions during a conversation with a company official, and Bet365 has been advertising for Russian-speaking customer service staff.
