If you've been
following the online betting site, Bodog, for any length
of time, you've probably heard about their ongoing
patent dispute with 1st Technology LLC (whether from the
mouth of founder Calvin Ayre or media outlets covering
the story). Well, it appears that the case is coming to
a close, following the dismissal of an appeal to throw
out 1st Technology's claim that Bodog infringed patents
to develop its online betting platform.
The Court of
Appeals for the Federal Circuit has upheld the original
District Court of Nevada ruling that Bodog would have to
pay up over $46 million, as well as hand over their
highly valuable domain names, including Bodog.com.
Furthermore, from what is presumably added legal court
costs, the judgment is now for over $50 million.
Maybe now Mr. Ayre
will hush up - Oh wait - he already has. Apparently,
Calvin Ayre is hiding out somewhere - most likely in a
country where the U.S. does not have an extradition
treaty. It certainly isn't about the money. Ayre was
listed as a Forbes billionaire last year - and accolade
which could very well prove to be part of the demise of
Calvin Ayre's empire. With all this attention, Ayre is
now being investigated by the U.S. Department of
Justice. This was the chief reason why he would not show
up in court to defend against 1st Technology's claims.
All in all, Bodog
is no longer Bodog. It's easy for me to keep saying "Bodog"
because I've been around the online gambling industry
for some time and it is true that Ayre was a genius at
branding the Bodog name. But for the next generation of
online gamblers, Bodog will likely never be what it once
was. The site is now partially owned/operated by the
Morriss Mohawk Gaming Group (Kahnawake Gaming
Commission) and it isn't certain just how much stake
Ayre has in the company.
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