Match swipes right to settle Tinder dispute with Tantan
Match Group, the owner of dating app Tinder, has moved to dismiss the lawsuit it filed against Chinese rival Tantan after reaching a settlement agreement to resolve all “controversies”.
Yesterday, May 14, Match filed a stipulation of dismissal with prejudice at the US District Court for the Western District of Texas, Waco Division.
American internet company Match operates several online dating sites including flagship brand Tinder, a location-based dating app initially released in 2012.
The Tinder app is characterised by a stack of swipeable cards containing pictures of potential matches, and users swipe right if they are interested in the person shown. When two users swipe right on each other they can communicate through the app.
In March, Match filed a complaint against Chinese dating app Tantan, accusing the rival of infringing design patents and trademarks by copying Tinder’s “revolutionary” swiping system.
Chinese social media app Momo acquired Tantan in February for $760 million, according to The Financial Times. Momo has 94.4 million monthly active users—compared to Tinder’s 30 million users.
“In connection with Tantan’s recent acquisition by Momo, publications repeatedly described Tantan as the ‘Chinese Tinder’,” Match’s complaint said. It accused the Chinese dating app of having a “nearly identical” match screen and featuring the famous swipe function.
Match’s stipulation said that it has entered into a binding settlement agreement with Tantan which “resolves all matters, controversies, and claims made by and between all the parties in this legal action”.
As part of the agreement each party is to bear its own costs.
Speaking to WIPR, a spokesperson for Match said that as part of the settlement agreement Tantan will redesign its US dating app. Tantan will also provide "annual royalty payments tied to the size of its US user base” to Match.
The suit against Tantan was filed shortly after Match initiated a similar complaint against dating app Bumble, at the same court.
Bumble released a location-based dating app in 2014 and, according to Match, the application infringes patents, design patents, trademarks, and trade dress relating to Tinder’s look and functionality.
Match is the owner of US patent number 9,733,811, relating to the matching functions of the Tinder app; US trademark number 4,465,926 for the ‘Swipe’ mark; and numerous design patents related to ornamental aspects of the application, such as the swipeable photograph cards.
In response, Bumble said the suit is an intimidation tactic after Match’s failed attempt to buy Bumble last year.
“We—a woman-founded, women-led company—aren't scared of aggressive corporate culture. That's what we call bullying, and we swipe left on bullies. Ask the thousands of users we've blocked from our platform for bad behaviour,” claimed Bumble.
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