Tinder files a lawsuit against Bumble for patent infringement

2017 was a year of lawsuits in the tech world. From Uber vs Waymo, to Apple vs Qualcomm, there was no dearth of courtroom drama in the past year. Looks like the legacy continues in 2018 too. Online dating app Tinder's parent company Match Group has sued Bumble for allegedly violating two of its patents, as reported by Recode.

As per the lawsuit, Match Group says that Bumble has copied its 'Matching Process System and Method'- in which users swipe cards and mutually select one another. Another point of contention is the 'Display Screen or Portion Thereof With a Graphical User Interface of a Mobile Device' which it describes as an “ornamental aspect” of Tinder’s App. The lawsuit also points to similarities between each companies’ apps, and how Bumble’s descriptions of “swiping” run afoul of Tinder’s registered trademarks.

In the complaint, Match says that though it "applauds Bumble's efforts at empowering women, both in its app and offline" and "cares deeply both about its women users and about women's issues generally," this case is simply about "forcing Bumble to stop competing with Match and Tinder using Match's own inventions, patented designs, trademarks, and trade secrets."

In a statement to Recode, a Match spokesperson said that the company has “invested significant resources and creative expertise in the development” in its products, and was working to enforce its property rights.

Last year, TechCrunch reported that Match had offered to buy Bumble for $450 million. However, Bumble turned down the offer. Looks like this Match's new way to push the deal- accept the buyout or face the lawsuit.