Tinder’s parent company hit with patent infringement claim
Dating app Tinder’s parent company, Match Group, has been struck with a patent infringement claim involving the app’s discovery settings.
Technology and gaming company Netsoc filed its claim at the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas Marshall Division on Tuesday, May 22.
Netsoc alleged that Match has infringed its patent titled “Method and system for establishing and using a social network to facilitate people in life issues” (US patent number 9,978,107). The patent was issued on the same day that the claim was filed.
These “issues” cover a range of aspects, including when families or individuals relocate, including logistical problems, “assimilation of family members in a community, and roommate pairings”.
According to Netsoc, Match’s Tinder app infringes the patent by allowing its users to select various discovery settings, such as location restrictions.
Tinder is a dating app that allows its users to match with potential dates by swiping left or right based on images and short biographies. Users can input certain criteria such as age restrictions, gender, and geographical proximity.
Claim 1 of the ‘107 patent covers a selection category including identifying geographic location.
“Tinder’s discovery settings allow a user to select from participants located within a certain distance from the user,” said the claim.
Users of the Tinder app are able to input the minimum or maximum distance of potential matches.
“Plaintiff contends this maximum distance setting corresponds to this claim element.”
Netsoc said that the dating app would not have been made possible without its technologies.
The alleged infringement has caused and will continue to cause damage to Netsoc, according to the claim. Netsoc is seeking damages and a permanent injunction.
Match is no stranger to patent infringement cases.
In March this year, WIPR reported that Match had sued location-based dating app Bumble for patent, trademark and trade dress infringement.
Bumble responded by claiming that the lawsuit was a tactic designed to intimidate after Match unsuccessfully attempted to buy the competitor last year.
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