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19 May 2022TrademarksTom Phillips

Changing names: the perils of rebranding

When Muzmatch, a dating app for Muslims, lost the right to use its name in April 2022, its founder and CEO called it “heartbreaking.”

Shahzad Younas, who in 11 years built up a six million-strong membership, became a target of legal action by Match Group and a casualty of an ultra-competitive industry.

In its case heard before the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court (IPEC), Match Group, which owns a portfolio of dating apps, including Tinder, complained that consumers would mistakenly assume Muzmatch was a “sub-brand” specifically targeted at Muslim users because of its use of “match” in its name.

Muzmatch, is considering an appeal, according to company statements. But if that fails, the company will have to rebrand—a move that will create unwanted uncertainty over its future success.

Creating and building a brand takes a huge amount of time, work, and money, so switching to a new name has the potential to unwind all that effort.

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