MELBOURNE -(Dow Jones)- Australian slot machine maker Aristocrat Leisure Ltd. (ALL.AU) said Tuesday it will "vigorously defend" allegations from International Game Technology (IGT) that Aristocrat's U.S. unit infringed certain IGT patents. In a statement, Sydney-based Aristocrat said it has received informal notification of the allegations, but is yet to be served with formal documents detailing IGT's claim. "This claim appears to be part of an ongoing, broader intellectual property dispute between Aristocrat and IGT," Aristocrat said. "In this broader dispute, Aristocrat as plaintiff, has taken action against IGT for alleged patent infringement and there is currently one case before the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California and one before the Federal Court of Australia," the Australian company said. It said based on the information currently available, it doesn't expect IGT's proposed action is material. -By Lyndal McFarland, Dow Jones Newswires; 61-3-9292-2093; lyndal.mcfarland@dowjones.com
