U.S. patents expire 20 years from the date of filing. At G2E (2013), I learned about the expiration of the following patent on September 8, 2013: Patent 05362064
A modified method of playing Baccarat is provided in which the conventional 5% commission charged by the gaming establishment on winning Bank hand wagers is eliminated. Preselected combinations of Bank and Player hands which would have been winning Bank hands under the conventional manner of play of Baccarat are treated as "push" or "bar" hands. The preselected combinations are chosen so that the gaming establishment maintains its desired percentage advantage over the bettor ...
... It is a further feature of the present invention to provide additional betting opportunities so that the bettor may wager that certain card combinations will occur during the play of a hand of Baccarat ... The bettor may make an additional wager that ... the "bar" hand will occur ...
Here is an image showing the patent application information:
The upshot of this expiration is that the commission free variant of baccarat commonly known as EZ Baccarat, as well as the side bet commonly known as the Dragon 7 side bet, are now public domain. While both of these names are trademarks of DEQ, the game known as EZ Baccarat as well as the side bet known as the Dragon 7 can now be used freely by casinos world-wide, without the need to purchase, license or lease the intellectual property. That is, any casino can offer, under any name they like (as long as it doesn't violate copyrights or trademarks), the following games:
- The commission free version of baccarat where a wager on the Banker pushes if the Banker's final hand is a winning three-card seven.
- The side bet that pays 40-to-1 if the Banker's final hand is a winning three-card seven.
I should mention that the side bet above is highly vulnerable to card counting. But then, you knew that.
From a SHFL press release, sent out on September 20, 2013, a few days before G2E:
It's a gold rush.
