Las Vegas companies settle litigation

Thursday, Dec. 27, 2001 | 10:58 a.m.

A new license agreement has ended the longstanding legal battle between Las Vegas-based casino suppliers Acres Gaming and Mikohn Gaming Corp.

The companies today announced they reached a compromise that would have Mikohn license Acres' bonusing patents for use in its MoneyTime System, a network of slot machines used by several local casinos.

Under the terms of the license agreement, Mikohn agreed to pay future royalties to Acres for the ongoing use of its patents. In addition, Acres received a $1.5 million royalty payment for Mikohn's use of its patents prior to Sept. 1, 2001.

The companies have been involved in lawsuits in federal court since 1997, when both parties accused each other of patent infringement related to so-called "bonusing" systems used by casino computers to award slot players. In March, a federal jury awarded Acres $1.5 million in damages when it found Mikohn had infringed on two of its patents.

Bud Glisson, chairman and chief executive officer of Acres Gaming, said today's agreement settled the companies' legal dispute.

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