Bill Gantz

Bill Gantz is a trial lawyer with diverse experience representing manufacturing, technology, Internet, online gambling and entertainment clients in litigation, licensing and intellectual property matters nationwide.

Bill has actively represented the internet gaming sector since 2002 in patent infringement, commercial litigation and compliance matters (including the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act). Bill is a General Member of the International Masters of Gaming Law and a former co-chair of the American Bar Association Gaming Law Section Subcommittee on Internet and Mobile Gaming.

In March 2011, in the first patent infringement case tried to verdict by the online gambling industry, Bill obtained a jury verdict in favor of www.sportsbetting.com against the Lottotron ‘865 patent (computerized lottery wagering system) in the US District Court for the District of New Jersey.

In a series of lawsuits targeting the online gaming industry, Lottotron had asserted that its online lottery patent covered remote gaming systems offering games of chance. Bill first obtained a ruling on summary judgment that an online wagering platform offering casino games did not literally infringe the patent, and Lottotron then lost at trial on the theory of infringement under the doctrine of equivalents.

Bill also regularly advises businesses offering Internet-based sweepstakes and retail product promotions, lottery tickets, subscription or play-for-free gaming, as well as charitable fundraising activities involving games, contests or auctions. With respect to land-based gaming, Bill is currently actively involved in numerous litigation matters arising within the video gaming terminal (VGT) industry in Illinois.

Bill’s technology-based practice also encompasses a specialty focus in representing flexible packaging industry clients, concerning trade secret misappropriation and violations of restrictive covenants not to compete or solicit given as part of purchase agreements or employment agreements. He has also counseled converters and other plastic industry clients regarding patents concerning films and plastic additives. Bill has a substantial track record in the area of biodegradation of plastics, and has extensive experience concerning “green marketing” and biodegradability claims under the Federal Trade Commission’s Green Guides.

Bill is also particularly experienced in litigation involving shareholders, officers, directors, managers and members of closely held corporations and limited liability companies. He has successfully defended and prosecuted numerous actions for oppression, forced buyouts for “fair value” and dissolution, as well as shareholder derivative claims for damages for breach of fiduciary duty and corporate waste.

He is regularly immersed in expedited proceedings, seeking or defending suits for temporary restraining orders and preliminary injunctions involving misappropriation of trade secrets, covenants not to compete, and confidentiality and nondisclosure agreements, as well as the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA). Many of his cases involve actions between competitors arising under Unfair and Deceptive Trade Practices Acts, consumer fraud acts and the Lanham Act.

Bill’s general commercial litigation and arbitration experience is diverse, including recent trials and significant litigation on behalf of a solid waste recycling company, investment banking partnership, real estate investor, public relations agency, clinical research organization, an international cellular telephony consultant and a dispute consulting and business advisory firm. He has extensive experience handling complex litigation and arbitration arising under clawback provisions.

Education:

• The Ohio State University, JD
• University of Chicago, BA, English Language and Literature

Admissions and qualifications:

• Illinois
• Massachusetts
• Rhode Island
• US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
• US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
• US District Court for the District of Connecticut
• US District Court for the District of Massachusetts
• US District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan

Memberships:

• Member, International Masters of Gaming Law, 2013–present
• Member, International Association of Gaming Advisors (IAGA)