The tug ‘o war litigation between Spartan Poker and Spartan Online, two Indian online poker providers seeking to claim the brand as their own, but with neither able to claim official approval for it (see previous reports) continued this week with a civil case filed in the Calcutta High Court by Spartan Poker chief Rajat Agarwal.
The filing is the latest legal development, following two previous actions earlier this year in which Agarwal has appealed for relief against the activities of rival Spartan Online Pvt., which is led by Amin Rozani and supported by the Indian Poker Championship.
The issue is complicated by the fact that although trademark applications have been submitted by both parties, neither has thus far been approved, according to reports on the GLaws India site here:
There also appears to have been moves to oust Agarwal from the board of directors of an associated company Quadrific Media Pvt. Ltd., which he is contesting and on which he has been successful in acquiring judicial restraining orders.
The case reportedly involves squads of lawyers on both sides and must be racking up substantial legal bills.
Neither Agarwal or Rozani have commented in any detail on the litigation.