Tinder Parent Company Sues Rival Dating App While Trying To Buy It

Tinder may be one of the most popular dating apps today, but it isn’t the only one. There’s also another app that is gaining traction thanks to its focus on women called Bumble. Instead of trying to compete with it, Tinder’s parent company Match Group offered to buy the rival service. Oddly enough, however, it is trying to hurry things along by filing a lawsuit against Bumble and accusing it of patent infringement.

An essential detail to point out in this report is that Bumble was actually created by two of the people who founded Tinder, Chris Gulczynski and Sarah Mick, Recode notes. This is why Match is now suing the company for patent infringements, accusing the two Bumble executives of stealing feature-related information from Tinder before leaving.

In a statement to the publication, Match the reason for the lawsuit was to protect its patented featured from being used in a way that hurts its bottom line. This is why it’s getting ready to go all the way with its lawsuit.

“Match Group has invested significant resources and creative expertise in the development of our industry-leading suite of products. We are committed to protecting the intellectual property and proprietary data that defines our business. Accordingly, we are prepared when necessary to enforce our patents and other intellectual property rights against any operator in the dating space who infringes upon those rights,” the statement reads.

Talks with regards to the acquisition actually go back to last year, when Match apparently offered $450 million to buy Bumble, The Verge reports. At the time, the company behind the app decided to reject the offer, which prompted Tinder’s parent company to turn the heat up. With this lawsuit, Match is basically putting added pressure on Bumble, which will either make it acquiesce or risk getting ruined.