PANDA Interactive, a Las Vegas-based sports technology company, has filed complaints against sports tech giants Genius Sports and Sportradar, claiming violation of patents.
The company filed the complaints against the duo in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, arguing that the firms had infringed on PANDA Interactive’s patents used for interactive streaming technologies.
PANDA Interactive is the trading name of SportsCastr Inc, and uses cloud-based software to provide ‘interactive viewing experiences’ such as real-time odds and in-play wagering to betting operators, sports leagues and sports media outlets.
SBC reached out to Genius and Sportradar but neither were available to comment at this time. However, PANDA Interactive’s executive leadership are adamant that patents have been breached.
CEO Kevin April said: “The confluence of media and sports betting is essential to the future of the fan-viewing experience. PANDA developed its pioneering technology long before online sports betting was even legal in the US. Sportradar and Genius Sports are infringing on our patents and capitalising on our groundbreaking work.”
PANDA Interactive – which has enlisted law firm King & Spalding LLP – was founded in 2016, and claims that its patented B2B Watch and Bet platform is used by ‘leading sports media companies, leagues and sportsbooks’, although it does not specifically state which firms are its clients.
Sportradar and Genius have emerged as the two clear market leaders in the global sports technology and data sector, and have found considerable success as Nasdaq and NYSE-listed companies respectively.
In submitting its complaint, PANDA Interactive claims that success has been ‘unfairly’ based on violations of its own patents. Chairman, Donald Schupak, said: “We have made substantial investments in the development of our technology and cannot tolerate having our patented technology used unfairly by others and against us. No one wants to see their own arsenal used against them in battle.”