Shuffle Master files another patent suit

Wednesday, Oct. 6, 2004 | 10:59 a.m.

Shuffle Master Inc. has filed a new patent infringement lawsuit against an old adversary, accusing a competitor of stealing its intellectual property rights on a shuffling machine.

The Las Vegas gaming equipment supply company filed suit Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Las Vegas against VendingData Corp., Las Vegas. Shuffle Master already has a 2002 suit pending against VendingData, based on the company's marketing of its Random Ejection shuffling machine. The new suit was spurred by VendingData's marketing of the shuffler in the United States, the company said in a release issued Tuesday.

"Shuffle Master treats its intellectual property as one of its most valuable assets," said Mark Yoseloff, Shuffle Master's chairman and chief executive officer. "Two years ago, when Shuffle Master saw that VendingData's Random Ejection shuffler infringed two of Shuffle Master's other patents, we filed suit and we are currently aggressively pursuing that litigation against VendingData on those two patents.

"Now that VendingData has chosen to market its PokerOne shuffler in the United States, we have brought this new lawsuit against VendingData," he said.

Representatives of VendingData could not be reached for comment.

It's the third patent rights lawsuit Shuffle Master has filed in three months. In July, the company filed similar suits against MP Games LLC, doing business as MindPlay Games, and MindPlay owner Alliance Gaming Corp., doing business as Bally Gaming and Systems.

Alliance has said the suit is without merit and that it would defend itself in court.

Yoseloff wasn't happy with VendingData officials last month. On the day Shuffle Master announced favorable third-quarter earnings, VendingData issued a release about a court response to Shuffle Master's initial suit. Yoseloff said in the company's conference call that he was disappointed in the timing of the release, which came within minutes of Shuffle Master's earnings release.