Marcel Luske Accuses PokerStars Of Stealing Tournament RulesFormer Rep For The Poker Platform Seeking Damages |
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Well-known poker pro Marcel Luske is suing the company that once sponsored him over claims that it stole his copyrighted poker tournament rules.
According to a report from CDC Gaming Reports, Luske, who is nicknamed the “Flying Dutchman,” filed suit in Nevada against PokerStars over what he said was a deal for the world’s largest poker site to pay him $25,000 annually for his International Poker Rules. Luske said he created the rules in 2008 thru his Federation International de Poker Association (FIDPA).
The report said that Luske’s rules were in the same vein as the Tournament Director Association (TDA) rules, but his were geared toward the players themselves, not as much for casino staff and tournament organizers.
“An endorsement by the FIDPA was invaluable for a casino because it would attract more players,” said Luske, who represented PokerStars from 2008 to 2014.
According to Luske, PokerStars said in 2012 that it wanted to use his set of rules and to feature the FIDPA logo at its live events. Two years later, according to Luske, PokerStars and him struck a handshake deal for a $25,000 annual licensing fee.
The lawsuit alleges that PokerStars later decided to implement its own set of rules, called PSLive rules, which were allegedly “an exact copy and/or derivative of language from the International Poker Rules.”
The lawsuit against PokerStars, which has roughly 70 percent of the worldwide online poker market, is aiming for general and special damages, plus interest, for fraud, interference with prospective economic advantage, bad faith and breach of contract, the report said.
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