SHFL Entretenimento (Ásia) Lda, the Macau subsidiary of U.S.-based SHFL Entertainment Inc, has seen a Macau court side with local businessman Jay Chun over a patent filed by the latter for a “a new baccarat table”. Our sister publication Business Daily reports that the Court of Second Instance struck down the appeal filed by SHFL, in a February 7 judgement only released on Friday, saying SHFL has no legitimacy to do so. The court explained that SHFL Entretenimento (Ásia) Lda is registered in Macau as a retailer and distributor but not as a manufacturer. That meant the company was unable to prove that it was “directly and effectively harmed” by the government’s decision to approve Mr Chun’s patent, the judges wrote. Mr Chun leads Macau-based gaming manufacturer LT Game Ltd, which has been entangled in court disputes with SHFL regarding the sale of electronic baccarat table products here. LT Game claims copyright over these, but SHFL denies LT Game’s patent has any relevance to its product.
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