A summary judgment has been granted to International Game Technology, a gaming machine developer, in a patent infringement lawsuit brought against the company by Bally Gaming Inc., a subsidiary of Bally Technologies Inc.
Bally had alleged International Game Technology’s 'wheel' games, which include Wheel of Fortune slot machines, were too close to its Lucky Wheel product, and it infringed on Bally’s patent. The court declared Bally’s patent invalid and cited the recent Supreme Court decision of KSR International v. Teleflex Inc., No. 05-1350, and decided that the combination of prior art, coupled with the well-known use of a wheel in gaming, made the claims obvious.
”IGT believes strongly in the United States patent system and respects the valid intellectual property rights of others,” said Thomas J. Matthews, International Game Technology's chairman and chief executive, in a prepared statement. “We are pleased that our position has been vindicated.”