Dafabet Kenya sued for name infringement by local design firm

Online gambling operator Dafabet is being sued by a Kenyan interior design firm for allegedly infringing on its intellectual property.

Asian-focused betting operator Dafabet launched its Kenya-facing Dafabet.co.ke site in March, joining the likes of SportPesa, Betway and Elitebet in targeting this large African market. But local firm Dafabet Kenya Ltd (DFK) claims the gambling site is using trademarks that don’t belong to it.

DFK has a barebones website (Dafabetkenya.com) that describes the company as a Kenya-registered “top house sports designer input and equipment” firm. DFK also has a Facebook page which, like the Dafabet Kenya betting site, appears to have launched this March.

On Sunday, the Standard reported that DFK’s lawyers had filed a lawsuit accusing the betting site of “unlawfully, illegally and wrongfully” using DFK’s name to promote betting and gaming activities in Kenya. The lawsuit asks the court to block the use of the Dafabet name for betting purposes within Kenya.