UK court blocks rival Aviator launches in three countries

Last updated: 9 Nov 2026, 19:57 CET

Mr Justice Tappin of the English High Court has granted an interim injunction that stops the Aviator parties from launching or offering a crash game under the name AVIATOR, or a colourably similar device, targeted at Colombia, Romania or Serbia, until further order. Platforms that were already offering that game on or before 3 July 2026 may keep doing so, and the Aviator parties may keep supplying those platforms. The main trial is expedited to October 2027.

The judgment, [2026] EWHC 2840 (BP), Case IL-2024-000151, in the Business and Property Division, Intellectual Property List, was handed down on 6 November 2026. The claimants are Aviator LLC (Georgia, company no. 404612610), Aviator Studio Limited (formerly Avigroup Limited, Malta) and Aviator Studio Holding Limited (Malta). The defendant is Spribe OÜ (Estonia). The fifth and sixth parties are a second Aviator LLC (Georgia, no. 404552177) and Mr Teimuraz Ugulava. Spribe's foreign passing-off / unfair-competition claims are brought in its defence and counterclaim.

The interim order

At paragraphs 177–180 of the judgment, the judge sets out the order he intends to make. Until further order, the Aviator Parties must not, and must not encourage or assist any third party to, launch or otherwise offer for use by the public a crash game under or by reference to the name AVIATOR or any device colourably similar to those shown in Annex 1, targeted at Colombia, Romania or Serbia.

A proviso protects the status quo: nothing in the order prevents third parties from continuing to offer such a game on any website, app or other platform on which they were offering it on or before 3 July 2026, or prevents the Aviator Parties from supplying that game to those platforms. The Aviator Parties must give Spribe's solicitors (Bird & Bird) a list of the platforms in those three countries as of that date. Spribe's cross-undertaking extends to third parties who may be affected.

The injunction is interim. The judgment decides the application for interim relief and related case-management questions; it does not decide whether the rival game infringes Spribe's rights on the merits.

Canada, Italy and the further territories

For Canada and Italy, the Aviator Parties offered undertakings to give 28 days' written notice of any launch by themselves or their affiliates, or of any marketing targeting those countries. Spribe accepted those undertakings, and the court accepted them. That is an undertaking to give notice, not an injunction.

For a wider list of "Further Territories", the judge indicated a notice regime of at least two weeks before an expected launch, with the parties to draft the order. He refused Spribe permission to add passing-off / unfair-competition or copyright claims beyond the nine "Combined Territories" (Canada, Colombia, Ghana, Italy, Kenya, Mexico, Romania, Serbia and South Africa).

Trial timetable

The main trial is expedited to be heard in October 2027. A UK interim injunction already restrains the Aviator Parties' game in the United Kingdom, and the judgment notes a Maltese-court injunction based on an EU trade mark owned by Spribe.

For a related Brazilian chapter of the Aviator dispute, see the Pernambuco court decision that dismissed Spribe's Brazilian preliminary injunction.

Updates

• 9 Nov 2026: first published.