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Spribe has taken a decisive step in its trademark battle, securing a provisional injunction from the Maltese courts against three companies tied to Aviator Studio.
The ruling, issued on 1 September by the First Hall of the Civil Court of Malta and reported by NEXT.io, found that Aviator Studio’s branding created a clear risk of confusion with Spribe’s registered EU trademarks.
The order requires Aviator Studio Limited, Aviator Studio Holding Limited and Aviator Studio USA Limited to stop using signs or imagery that resemble Spribe’s marks in connection with gambling products and services. It also directs the companies to shut down the aviator.studio website, along with any other platforms that feature similar branding.
Aviator name, aircraft image, and audiovisuals ownership settled
The Maltese court’s ruling went beyond the injunction itself, spelling out exactly what parts of the Aviator brand belong to Spribe.
Judges confirmed that protection covers the word “Aviator,” the aircraft logo, and the audiovisual sequence that defines the game’s look and feel. They stressed that Aviator Studio’s use of similar names and imagery was not only overlapping but aimed at the same pool of online players, which made the risk of confusion unavoidable.
Examples from the market helped shape the decision. When users typed “Aviator” into platforms like Betsson or EuroCasino, both games appeared side by side. In one case, a LuckyStreak listing even seemed to credit Spribe’s product to Aviator Studios.
The court said this showed confusion was already happening, not just a theoretical risk.
It also pointed out that Aviator Studio’s game was already being offered in EU markets, including Malta, Sweden and Finland.
With the company recently securing a B2B Critical Supply Licence from the Malta Gaming Authority, judges warned that distribution could quickly expand across Europe.
Spribe founder hoping for similar ruling in the UK next month
Founder David Natroshvili welcomed the outcome, saying he was “grateful” for the decision and described it as part of a series of positive rulings. “This is further momentum for Spribe after several positive outcomes,” he said, adding that the company is looking ahead to October when a UK court will hear its request for a multi‑territorial preliminary injunction.
Natroshvili stressed that Spribe is determined to protect its creation: “We are continuing to take all reasonable steps to protect our creation, the Aviator game, that is enjoyed by customers in Europe and across the world.”
The Malta order remains provisional, with Aviator Studio companies entitled to challenge it, and Spribe required to begin full proceedings within 31 days of the ruling.
The legal fight over Aviator has stretched across several countries, and Malta’s provisional order is only one chapter in a much longer story. Back in August 2024, Georgia’s Court of First Instance ruled that Spribe’s trademarks there had been registered in bad faith, siding with Aviator LLC. That setback was later upheld by Georgia’s Supreme Court in May 2025.
Spribe has, however, found more success in the UK. In July 2025, the High Court granted an interim injunction that blocked Aviator LLC from launching a rival crash game in Britain. Earlier this year, Deputy Judge Michael Tappin KC added another win for Spribe, deciding that the Georgian rulings could not simply be carried over into English law.
The company’s victories have not been limited to Europe. Just last month, the Court of First Instance in Curaçao invalidated two Aviator‑branded trademarks held by Aviator LLC.
The company also celebrated the Malta decision in a letter to customers, reminding them that Spribe developed the original Aviator crash game in 2018 and launched it globally the following year. “Unfortunately, the immense popularity and high quality of Spribe’s Aviator game have led some third parties, including Aviator Studio Companies, to attempt to unlawfully benefit from our reputation and success by developing a copycat game in 2025, seven years after the original game,” the letter stated.
