Fenwick & West represented Blue Lava Wireless LLC in its acquisition by wireless entertainment publisher JAMDAT Mobile Inc. (NASDAQ: JMDT). The deal, valued at approximately $137 million, allows one of the strongest mobile gaming companies access to the one of the most powerful game brands in history – and a game that is ideally suited for mobile devices.
"JAMDAT's industry leading position and distribution muscle make it the perfect partner to bring the Tetris brand to wireless consumers around the world," said Blue Lava founder and CEO, Henk Rogers, who is widely recognized for his efforts in making Tetris into the mega-hit it is today.
The deal also ends another chapter in the long and unusual history of the Tetris game, originally created in the former Soviet Union in 1985. The history of Tetris spans over 25 years and has been the source of various disputes.
"Part of the deal included resolving a number of material ownership and licensing issues, some of which were in litigation. This deal gives JAMDAT the exclusive right to Tetris, a world class franchise, over wireless devices, such as cell phones," said partner Sam Angus, who led negotiations for Blue Lava Wireless. Mark Stevens, Ron Schrotenboer, Greg Roussel, Gerald Audant and John Lister also worked on the transaction on behalf of Blue Lava Wireless.
The acquisition allows JAMDAT to publish Tetris in North America, Latin America and India, marking the first time that Tetris has been distributed in Latin America and India. Additionally, JAMDAT will acquire the Tetris wireless rights for Europe, China, Japan, Korea, Australia and New Zealand, as the current licensees' rights in those jurisdictions expire throughout 2005.