Product piracy is a major threat to the gaming industry, Jens Halle, managing director of Austrian Gaming Industries, has claimed.
“Every so often a single story on the protection of intellectual property comes to the fore and serves to remind us just how great a scourge piracy is,” Halle told InterGaming. “We are not talking here about individual patent infringement issues that will, ultimately be settled either by compromise or in a court of law, we are talking about the threat of our industry’s good name and reputation being damaged by serious, organised and professional ‘product pirates’.”
In 2008 Novomatic was, together with other key gaming equipment manufacturers, a founder of the Gaming Industry Piracy Alliance. That body was set up not just to protect the profits of gaming industry manufacturers - it was, and remains, above all about protecting operators and their customers.
“There is a fundamental need for the gaming industry to ensure that the guest gets fair games to play,” continued Halle. “We submit our products to strict licensing and testing procedures in order to be allowed to bring them to market. These procedures have been created to guarantee top product quality and, most importantly, to ensure that gaming remains a reputable business.
“Combating infringement of intellectual property rights, in the form of trademarks, patents or designs, remains a top priority for Novomatic and for all other reputable manufacturing companies around the world.”
Read InterGaming’s Manufacturers’ Forum in full in the August New Technology issue.
