Bodog's Domain Names Confiscated

Pardon me while I briefly interrupt the 'he said, she said' flow....

I am more concerned with the actual violation. To be honest, I read the above and understand little of what it's talking about. However, I do have questions.

Is this 'software' or 'application' used by all online casinos? Only RTG? Only BoDog?

Do all casinos have to pay for the rights to use it?

And if it's a software and/or application directly necessary to day to day operation of casinos, why is this fee not paid by the software companies (RTG, MG, etc.?).

Why was Bodog singled out? They're the only casino that hasn't paid up? (Like most here, I highly suspect that the Feds 'convinced' 1st Technologies to pursue this lawsuit.)

And why was their domain name(s) confiscated? What has one to do with the other?

Never mind the interruption. I'm tired of it myself.

Those are some good questions.

As best I can tell, this patent must be about some software code and things like compression algorithms. There is a huge amount of bytes sent back and forth between a gaming site and the customer during games. These take up lot of bandwidth and I think this is especially a problem with dial up networks.

The allegation against Bodog seems to be that Bodog has incorporated this code into what Calvin says is "proprietary" software, that is, Bodog designed it themselves and didn't buy it from somebody else. To sum it up, incorporating this code into Bodog software would make it work faster, which is necessary for online gaming.

1st Technology says that Bodog uses some of its code in Bodog's code. I assume Bodog denies that, or perhaps they may be saying they don't give a shit because nobody can touch them with US law. The truth is that nobody knows if Bodog denies that they incorporate Lewis design in their software. But if it comes to a Calvin says, Lewis says, I think I'd be much more inclined to take the word of a Marshall scholar, an Oxford Phd, and a Harvard MBA than I would of a guy banned from public stock markets for 20 years. But maybe that's just me.

Its a very good question about RTG, which I have now learned means Real Time Gaming. Perhaps RTG has its own design that does the same thing as 1st Tech's, but uses different code to the extent that it doesn't infringe the patent. Maybe RTG has another patent and they don't need to pay royalties to 1st Tech for theirs. If that is the case, all sites that use RTG and pay royalties to them are unlikely to be affected by this recent thing.

I think that if RTG infringed 1st Tech's patent, we'd have heard about long ago. On the other hand, maybe RTG incorporates 1st Tech's stuff and pays royalties, which then allow all of its customers to use it.

I think Bodog was singled out because they claim proprietary software that really isn't proprietary at all. That, and Calvin's mouth and the mistaken impression that there's a lot of money there to be sued for.

As to the domain name confiscation, I do know the answer to that. 1st Tech's position throughout is that Bodog is a criminal organization that scoffs at US law. It also says that Bodog is causing it great harm by using its software and affecting the market share of its own licensees who do pay it royalties and thus is doing great harm to 1st Tech. It has sought an injunction to stop the infringing behavior. Normally an injunction will only issue when a payment of cash will not account for the damages when the suit is eventually settled. 1st Tech maintains that a cash payment is not going to be paid, the damage is immediate and ongoing, and the only thing to be done is stop the downloading of the infringing software by tactics such as interfering with the domain name. That, in a nutshell, is why the Washington court would have given that order against the Washington State domain registrar.

Other orders may be coming in other states, or may already have been given. For instance, such orders may have been responsible for Sherdog forum stopping Bodog advertising, or ION television cancelling the Bodog fight contract.
 
Never mind... it was another company who had been sued by 1st

On August 10, 2004 the Company received a complaint for patent infringement that
was filed on July 20, 2004 in the US District Court of Nevada by 1stTechnology
LLC of California ("1st Technology"). Named as Defendants to the subject
complaint are the Company, Real Time Gaming and Terra Networks, S.A.
(collectively referred to as the "Defendants"). 1stTechnology has claimed that
the Defendants have each infringed the Lewis Multimedia Patents. 1st Technology
has requested a trial by jury and is seeking damages, attorney's fees and costs,
and a permanent injunction prohibiting further infringement of the Lewis
Multimedia Patents. The Company is of the opinion that this claim is of no
merit and, the Company intends to defend this action.
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Will be more thurough before jumping in again

Wow, that's very interesting and answers the question I tried to answer or above now I guess it is. So 1st Technology is saying that even RTG software incorporates their software?

Good work, Lojo.
 
Never mind... it was another company who had been sued by 1st

On August 10, 2004 the Company received a complaint for patent infringement that
was filed on July 20, 2004 in the US District Court of Nevada by 1stTechnology
LLC of California ("1st Technology"). Named as Defendants to the subject
complaint are the Company, Real Time Gaming and Terra Networks, S.A.
(collectively referred to as the "Defendants"). 1stTechnology has claimed that
the Defendants have each infringed the Lewis Multimedia Patents. 1st Technology
has requested a trial by jury and is seeking damages, attorney's fees and costs,
and a permanent injunction prohibiting further infringement of the Lewis
Multimedia Patents. The Company is of the opinion that this claim is of no
merit and, the Company intends to defend this action.
You do not have permission to view link Log in or register now.


Will be more thurough before jumping in again

Thank you for that info, Lojo. Very, very interesting. I'll try to wade through some more of the legal stuff (unfortunately my eyes usually glaze over before I can get the gist of what I'm reading). If RTG is incorporating this spiffy coding/application/software (whatever it is) then, why aren't all the RTG's being shut down by 'turning off' their domains? How can one casino be singled out? And if RTG has started paying up... why bother Bodog? (yes, yes, I know why -- I guess I mean how can they legally target only one casino?)

Found this about
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...

Playtech (Cyprus) Ltd., the international designer, developer and licensor of software for the gambling industry, a subsidiary company of Playtech Ltd, listed on AIM, announced today the signing of a license agreement with 1st Technology LLC.

The license agreement is in relation to 1st Technologys core multimedia patents applied to advanced online gaming products. The patents, developed by multimedia pioneer Dr. Scott Lewis, CEO of 1st Technology, are targeted at providing enhanced interactivity and optimized delivery of high quality multimedia information over networks of various bandwidths including narrowband and broadband telephone, cable, and wireless Internet.

Dr. Lewis, commenting on the agreement, said: We are delighted that industry leader Playtech is now a licensee. Our new relationship will allow us to develop superior gaming products to the market using 1st Technologys internationally recognized patent portfolio.
 
Nevermind... I got side tracked... too much Googling...

Just a sort of side note... this 1st Technology is a royal pain in the butt... do they have a patent on all graphics/video distribution methods?
NDS, Orbis, 1st Technology Settle Lawsuit
On October 10, 2005, NDS Group PLC ("NDS"), Orbis Technology and 1st Technology LLC agreed to settle a patent infringement suit that had been brought against NDS and Orbis by 1st Technology in the United States District Court for the District of Nevada. NDS agreed to license the patents in suit and 1st Technology agreed to dismiss with prejudice all claims against NDS and Orbis. The payment to 1st Technology is not material to NDS.

NDS Group plc, a majority owned subsidiary of News Corporation, is a leading supplier of open end-to-end digital pay TV solutions for the secure delivery of entertainment and information to television set-top boxes and IP devices.
 
1st Technologies patents have been respected and licensed by a number of major online gambling software companies, including Orbis, Playtech, Cryptologic and others. This has been announced by press releases in the past by those companies, as you have already discovered and was noted in our early reports on this issue (see Casinomeister News), having been quickly revealed by Googling.

That suggests to me that the 1st Technologies patent has wide application, and that the current issue is not a case of RTG (or Bodog's "tweaked" version of RTG software) being a target in isolation.

I would think that Bodog is, however, a vulnerable and high profile target well suited to getting the message out that these patents are strong enough to stand and will be enforced.

Bodog probably has more to lose (and to pay) in this game than RTG itself, given the relative commercial standing of the two companies, especially since RTG's alleged mysterious sale and move to Costa Rica.
 
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1st Technologies patents have been respected and licensed by a number of major online gambling software companies, including Orbis, Playtech, Cryptologic and others. This has been announced by press releases in the past by those companies, as you have already discovered and was noted in our early reports on this issue (see Casinomeister News), having been quickly revealed by Googling.

That suggests to me that the 1st Technologies patent has wide application, and that the current issue is not a case of RTG (or Bodog's "tweaked" version of RTG software) being a target in isolation.

I would think that Bodog is, however, a vulnerable and high profile target well suited to getting the message out that these patents are strong enough to stand and will be enforced.

Bodog probably has more to lose (and to pay) in this game than RTG itself, given the relative commercial standing of the two companies, especially since Bodog's alleged mysterious sale and move to Costa Rica.

Yep. Much more to it. I just had a conversation which leads me to think the US government does have a hand in this.

Bodog has now moved to Antigua, where, ironically, there is talk of ignoring US patents over the US failure to comply with the WTO ruling.
 
Here's an interesting new development - could this be Bodog's next move? Something to ponder - what is the likely strategy behind this?


St. John's, Antigua - Bodog Entertainment, the international entertainment powerhouse founded by noted Canadian Billionaire Calvin Ayre, is pleased to announce a brand licensing agreement, including the use of all Bodog domains and the Bodog trademark, with Morris Mohawk Gaming Group for operations and marketing of gaming in North America.

Morris Mohawk is headed by noted First Nations leader Alwyn Morris, who is revered for winning two medals in kayaking in the 1984 Olympics and raising the symbolic eagle feather to honor his ancestors during the medal ceremony. For his Olympic accomplishments and his work with youth in the Health and Welfare Canada Native Drug Abuse Programme, Morris was made a member of the Order of Canada, the country's highest civilian honor in 1985.

Since then, Morris has been involved in numerous sport, civic and business endeavors to forward the position of Aboriginal peoples in Canada. He is currently Director of the Council of Chiefs for the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake located in Montral's South Shore.

"We could not have found a more perfect partner than Alwyn Morris and Morris Mohawk Gaming Group. Morris is a true Canadian hero," says Ayre. "We are confident that Morris Mohawk will be able to give our North American customers the quality experience they have come to expect from Bodog."

"Our deal with Bodog is another great addition to the business community that has developed in Kahnawake," adds Morris. "Working with the top brand in the industry will further solidify the extensive experience, knowledge base and importance of this vertical."

Bodog continues to evolve its business model, and moving into a licensing agreement with Morris Mohawk Gaming Group for all North American gaming activities is in line with the company's plans for international expansion.

About Morris Mohawk Gaming Group

Morris Mohawk Gaming Group is located on the Mohawk Territory of Kahnawake, part of the seven communities that make up the Mohawk Nation and is licensed to offer gaming services to users worldwide. Morris Mohawk Gaming Group is led by noted Canadian sportsman and First Nations leader Alwyn Morris. The Bodog brand is operated for gaming in North America by Morris Mohawk Gaming Group under license. For more information please see www.MorrisMohawk.com.
 
goody! i can finally play at bodog! :thumbsup:
 
@ Mousey

Reference your query on RTG and LVFH: If memory serves me well RTG at one stage licensed their poker offering from LVFH - I seem to recall that the relationship did not work out and was subsequently abandoned.
 
goody! i can finally play at bodog! :thumbsup:

Whatever might be said about this Morris guy, the Kahnawake Mohawk's are for the most part a band of criminals in Canada, involved in not only some phony gaming "licensing" scheme, but in cigarette and dope smuggling along the New York Quebec border. It's sort of like announcing an agreement with the Gambino family.

It looks like part of the exit strategy for Calvin.

I did just get an email from someone who is positive that there was an announcement a few months back that Bodog had bought out RTG. Anybody able to confirm that?
 
i checked out their site once, and i swear it said canada was not allowed to play there. and i may have wanted to because the wiz pimps bodog exclusively and here at cm they seemed to garner a lot of praise. not so much post-uigea, but every casino has went downhill since that bomb dropped. unlike you, i have not known for years of calvin's crookedness, and in fact it might have been appealing to at least be losing to one of my countrymen. and obviously given what's happening in this thread, i'd have thought it obvious the "goody" comment was meant in jest. take care, :thumbsup:
 
Whatever might be said about this Morris guy, the Kahnawake Mohawk's are for the most part a band of criminals in Canada, involved in not only some phony gaming "licensing" scheme, but in cigarette and dope smuggling along the New York Quebec border. It's sort of like announcing an agreement with the Gambino family.

It looks like part of the exit strategy for Calvin.

I did just get an email from someone who is positive that there was an announcement a few months back that Bodog had bought out RTG. Anybody able to confirm that?

Not sure about an announcement - we certainly didn't see one - but there was a rumour that Bodog had bought out RTG which no-one was able to confirm - the companies involved ignored emails asking for confirmation.

And Bodog was not the only company rumoured to have bought RTG.

Certainly Bodog was reported as having gone a step futher in licensing RTG software by buying the source code and developing it for their own unique version. But that was some time back.

When the more recent news that RTG had sold up and was relocating to Costa Rica broke, I spoke to a couple of RTG guys who had elected not to make the move from Atlanta to CR and who were subsequently let go with generous deals.

Both confirmed that RTG CEO Mike McMain was going to CR...and both said that they did not know who had bought the company, but that there had been some "suits from Curacao" on the premises during the negotiations and transitionary period.

But this is all hearsay, and I have yet to see credible confirmation.
 
Calvin transmits Bodog's herpes to the Mohawks

I think it is a safe bet that this Alwyn Morris is putting his Order of Canada award at risk, and further tainting the Mohawk's reputation, by climbing into bed with Calvin Ayre. Everything this guy touches these days seems to leave someone with a rash.It should be clear to anyone with more than a passing interest in online gambling that Bodog will headline the next list of indictments handed down by the DOJ.
I hear a lot of speculation on the forums about how the DOJ is digging deeper into Ayre's recent trip to Russia and that would probably explain the delay in Bodog being taken out of the picture.
Bodog has been in a death spiral for a long time now. I hope when it finally, and mercifully, crashes, that no one on the ground gets hurt. By that, I mean all those who are unaware of Bodog's legal woes, and still have money with Bodog!
Does anyone know if this NewBodog is operating? I can't access it.
 
Ok, thanks for that Jetset. So the rumor at least is that Bodog was going to buy RTG, which was being sued by 1st Technology.

It'll take some time to fully digest this Bodog/Mohawk announcement, but as the guy says above, a guy with the Order of Canada making an agreement with Calvin Ayre to violate US law. Geez, something is very weird there.

One thing that is obvious is that Calvin is trying to create some cash flows that are not proceeds of crime. Bodog Fight and Bodog Music are transparent attempts at that, but the coppers everywhere know that the initial capital and the capital to sustain the losses all come from gambling operations, which makes those two sidelines proceeds of crime in themselves.

Perhaps he thinks that by hiving off the criminal part to the Mohawks and this Order of Canada guy, he creates some kind of break in the chain and that Fight and Music will be seen as clean money in the future.

I don't know what the Mohawks would have bought in terms of a license. Did they buy a license to Bodog.com? Before the injunction by 1st Technology?

Why would the Mohawks want to change places with Calvin Ayre as a principle target for the DOJ?

From a gamblers perspective, there are a whole lot of questions. Who now deals with all these delayed withdrawals problems? Will they disappear under the Mohawks? Isn't this a complete surrender by Calvin and one desperate last grasp at some cashflow if the Mohawks can do a better job than he did? He talks of the licensing being only the North American market. What other market does he have?

What about all the CS people? Are jobs gone at Riptown Media and Triple Crown Customer Service, or will the Mohawks use their services?

It will be interesting to see if Morris Mohawk issues any press releases.

One thing is for certain, we now have a Canadian Mohawk band openly declaring an intention to violate United States law. It will be interesting to see how that plays out.
 
as i understand it, natives are not bound by any nation's laws as they are self-governing. once you get on the rez, you are pretty much free from police interference. and from what i ascertain, natives are none too happy with the colonial powers that deprived them of their lands, and would care little in upsetting these powers. also, if all the equipment lies and traffic occurs on their land, no doubt they feel that they are not bound by any other laws.

of course if a native goes into town or wherever, he must follow the laws of the land, but on his land it's his law. other rtg's still allow US traffic, so what's any different? the US law is completely stupid and arguably wrong anyway, and there are a lot of times when people decide it's acceptable to disregard some laws. speeding, jaywalking, smoking pot, smoking near a building's entrance. the anti-gambling law is no different. the americans themselves find ways to access gambling, and the providers find ways to provide it. the only reason gambling (and file-sharing) are discouraged is because it takes money out of america's economy.

i don't know a whole lot so i might just be spewing conjecture, but that is my take on it. :thumbsup:
 
I think it is a safe bet that this Alwyn Morris is putting his Order of Canada award at risk,

I wouldn't know but "I wouldn't touch bodog with your money" is all I have to say about that. Funny I said that here and can't find it via google advanced search. hmm. Must have been a concept, rather than a statement.
 
The closet is an ugly thing sometimes

Will RTG declare?
 
In Public, I assert, my move was innocent and semi-serious heavy on the serious.
 
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Google "Kahnawake and organised crime". I've felt all along Ayre was merely a puppet. This deal with the Mohawk guy may simply be a case of Ayre having been fired. For incompetence.
 
Google "Kahnawake and organised crime". I've felt all along Ayre was merely a puppet. This deal with the Mohawk guy may simply be a case of Ayre having been fired. For incompetence.

Things have to be said
 
@ Paddy

QUOTE: I don't know what the Mohawks would have bought in terms of a license. Did they buy a license to Bodog.com? Before the injunction by 1st Technology? UNQUOTE

My reading of that release is that they have licensed their (specifically) Bodog brands to Morris/the Mohawks, but your comment above regarding the date of such a licensing move is pertinent imo.

The release is dated September 6, which would be after the Washington and Vegas rulings. It does not seem to contain any other date pre-dating those rulings.

But even if it did, would it hold water? The brands are still Bodog's, albeit licensed out so surely the brands would still be vulnerable as assets and/or the subject of litigation?

Manifestly so, if one looks at the current de facto situation, where Bodog's brands are tied up and they have had to resort to NewBodog pro tem.

This is certainly an intriguing development.
 
@ Paddy

QUOTE: I don't know what the Mohawks would have bought in terms of a license. Did they buy a license to Bodog.com? Before the injunction by 1st Technology? UNQUOTE

My reading of that release is that they have licensed their (specifically) Bodog brands to Morris/the Mohawks, but your comment above regarding the date of such a licensing move is pertinent imo.

The release is dated September 6, which would be after the Washington and Vegas rulings. It does not seem to contain any other date pre-dating those rulings.

But even if it did, would it hold water? The brands are still Bodog's, albeit licensed out so surely the brands would still be vulnerable as assets and/or the subject of litigation?

Manifestly so, if one looks at the current de facto situation, where Bodog's brands are tied up and they have had to resort to NewBodog pro tem.

This is certainly an intriguing development.

We do know this. The morrismohawk.com domain name was only registered on the 18th of August, 10 days before the Washington State injunctions. The domain registrar was the same outfit in Bellevue, Wa. that had the Bodog.com registration that was tied up by the courts.

The website is a one pager that looks like it was slapped together by Bodog just for the purpose of giving morris some credibility.

I think we can deduce that the 1st Technology tactic has devastated Bodog, or what was left of it. Calvin's schtick was all about online branding and that absurd story that he was a world recognized expert in it. Complete nonsense, of course, but the domain seizure, or whatever you want to call it, killed the brand.

I think this Mohawk thing has a number of purposes. The Mohawks, rather than Russians or Mafia, may be Calvin's criminal base. For instance, the Kahnawake Gaming Commission knew all about Calvin's past over a year ago and continue to license him. National Fraud Center in the US, which KGC says checks out all their applicants, initially told me they had no evidence Calvin was a fraudster. When I sent them a copy of the BC Securities ruling banning him for 20 years for what was essentially fraud, they refused to respond to any further questions.

Next to the RCMP, the Mohawks are Canada's largest criminal organization, larger even than the bikers. They are a threat to the rule of law in Canada. Police pretty well openly say they don't enforce the gaming laws against the Mohawks because the Mohawks will respond with violence.

The Russians or the Mafia would have killed Calvin long ago, in my opinion, so I'm voting for Mohawks as being his criminal roots.

This gambit then is Calvin going back to those roots for the specific purpose of trying to get his domain names back. He is likely going to have the Mohawks make that effort. They will say they are licensed to use the Bodog brand and the Bodog domain name and that they don't owe 1st Technology any money and that this action suspending the domain name must be lifted. It may be that they have cooked up a backdated licensing agreement that predates the Washington court action.

There's a serious flaw in that. Under both Canadian and US law, Alwyn Morris is a conspirator with Calvin Ayre and others to violate US laws that supposedly, well do, prohibit online gaming, whether I agree with that or not. Alwyn Morris violates the Canadian criminal code when he makes this agreement with Bodog. Whether the police are going to stand by and allow that to continue has major political implications and connections to the issues that arise from the ongoing US attempt to extradite pot politician and seed seller Marc Emery from Vancouver. There are exact parallels to that situation, which is an explosive issue in Canada.

I don't see how Morris can go to an American court and ask them to lift an order on the Bodog domain name that would then facilitate his own forays into breaking American law. I'd say the US courts would tell him to stick his "sovereign Mohawk nation" straight up his arse. They might arrest him on the spot.

From a gaming perspective, I hope Casinomeister looks into the unspoken victims in all of this, those with money on deposit at the existing Bodog. Now that the Mohawks supposedly control Bodog interests in North America, who pays out the money on deposit with old Bodog. You certainly seem to have the smarts to do that here from what I've seen so far.

The Cold Eye is going to be publishing something later today to do with the very serious national issues that arise in Canada out of this bizarre scheme. I am going to ask how Morris' membership in the very prestigious order of Canada can conceivably be maintained given Ayre's accusation that he has engaged him in a transparent criminal conspiracy. The Order of Canada is revoked upon any criminal conviction. What could conceivably be going through Alwyn Morris' cabeza to become involved in this?

For everyone's information, there was a post put up last night on Major Wager which was little more than the Bodog press release copied from here and credited to Jetset. It disappeared overnight. I find that very odd. Major Wager usually publishes Bodog press releases verbatim.
 
What a great story... The rise and fall of BoDog...

One of these days I am gonna sit down and write a book about all the strange people and bizarre things I've seen (and done) in the online casino/poker business...
 

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