Horse Racing & Wagering Service Drama

By: SPORTS NETWORK

Courtesy of LawFuel - The Law News Network)

Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - The Corporate Deal Maker Forum blog reports on the legal drama between Churchill Downs Inc. and its former content distribution partner TVG, which it says is still worth watching.

TVG, a horse racing satellite provider and online wagering service, on Friday filed a lawsuit in federal court in California against HRTV, the horse racing television network jointly owned by Churchill Downs and Magna Entertainment. The suit also targets Magna's online account wagering service XpressBet.com.

According to the Louisville Courier-Journal, TVG charges that Magna is infringing on two of its patents that cover internet wagering technology and audio and video feeds from multiple tracks.

This isn't the first time that Churchill Downs and TVG have bumped up against one another. The 10-year relationship between the Louisville-based track operator and TVG came to an abrupt end late last year when the two couldn't agree on terms to extend TVG's exclusive licensing deal. And as we reported in the latest issue of Corporate Dealmaker, Churchill Downs sued TVG for breach of contract for attempting to sublicense its races to overseas distributors