Lightning Poker Withdraws Lawsuit Filed Against PokerTek

Lightning Poker Inc. has announced that it is not pushing through with the federal court action against PokerTek Inc.

Previously, Lightning Poker alleged PokerTek was violating the antitrust laws and engaging in acts of unfair competition, civil conspiracy, trade slander and defamation. Among the acts cited is the alleged false advice to customers that Lightning Poker's poker game products infringed patents of PokerTek.

The decision to withdraw the federal court action involving the multiple allegations came after PokerTek's president responded to the Lightning Poker's allegations, saying that: "...no one from PokerTek has claimed or asserted that any product of [Lightning Poker] infringes ... any design patent of PokerTek, or ... any other intellectual property of PokerTek, including ... the pending patent applications."

As Ron Skotarczak, President of Lightning Poker stated, "We are pleased that PokerTek made the choice to check its business practices".

Skotarczak added that, "In light of our successful launch of the Lightning Poker tables at Turning Stone Casino in NY and our memorandum of understanding with Shuffle Master Inc. on a worldwide distribution and service agreement, we made the decision that our time should be spent marketing the world's finest electronic poker table rather than on litigation".

February 18, 2007
Michael Orwell