Bodog Changes Domain Name

Imagine my surprise when I tried to go to Bodog’s website today and found that there was nothing there! After a few minutes of frantic searching, however, I found out what the problem was.

BODOG VS. 1ST TECHNOLOGY

The company is currently involved in a dispute over the www.bodog.com domain name with 1st Technology Inc. The company, a technology licensing firm with an interest in multi-media patents for advanced gaming, filed a lawsuit in the state of Nevada claiming that Bodog’s software infringes on patents filed in the United States and elsewhere.

Bodog failed to appear in court, however (probably fearing that U.S. officials would arrest them over the ridiculous UIGEA law). At that point, the court was left with no choice but to rule against them. As of August 1st, Bodog has been ordered to pay 1st Technology $49 million in damages. They were also ordered to remove all DNS servers associated with Bodog and Calvin Ayre (the billionaire playboy founder of Bodog).

1ST TECHNOLOGY AND LITIGATION

1st Technology has done this before. In December of 2005, litigation between the company and SportingBet PLC and Paradise Poker was resolved by a licensing agreement. The same thing also happened with NDS Group PLC and Orbis Technology.

While Bodog may be able to settle the whole matter with a licensing agreement of their own, the implications for the online gambling are huge. If the 1st Technology patent really does cover the process used by most online gaming companies, then they could wind up suing the majority of the industry.

BODOG CONTINUES

But Bodog is still in business. For the time being, they have moved to a new domain name (www.newbodog.com), and the site is exactly the same as the old one. Customers can access their accounts and bet just like always.

Of course, it is troublesome when you consider the search engine implications. If the situation is not resolved soon, all the high-ranking links on sites such as Google will go away. This could result in significant losses for the company. No doubt, this is the reason why others have entered into a licensing agreement with 1st Technology instead of engaging in a lengthy legal battle.

According to a statement from Calvin Ayre, “We are fighting this dispute. We are confident that we will win, but until all is settled, I do not want our battle to interrupt your play.”

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Bodog Changes Domain Name