Tinder Serves Wild Trademark Infringement Notice Over Flame Icon Use

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 19, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Wild, the fastest growing free online dating app, has received a complaint from the swiping tycoon, Tinder, claiming trademark infringement regarding its use of its flame outline logo and design.

In an email sent by Match Group, Inc, the owners of the Tinder brand, and the controllers of the trademark in question, it read,

"Your application uses, without authorization, the 'Flame Outline' design/logo, a trademark owned and controlled by Tinder, Inc… As we seek an amicable and swift resolution to this matter, we ask that your app immediately cease using any Tinder trademarks of any other name or mark which is likely to lead consumers to mistakenly believe its products or services are associated with Tinder or authorized by Tinder. If satisfactory modification is not made to address these violations, we ask that your application be removed from the platform."

Wild has owned its own trademark of its logo mark and icon, including the "Flame Outline" logo since its launch over four years ago.

"Wild has been around for over four years, so the sudden interest in our logo is a bit perplexing," says Catherine Malone, the marketing director of Wild. "Out of respect for Tinder's request, however, we did modify our flame icon and published the modified version to the App Store and Google Play. And that's when we received the second email."

In a follow up email from Tinder, it read,

"Thank you for this first attempt at modification. In order to bring the app into compliance, we respectfully request that you remove any symbol using the flame outline to brand your application. When the application is compliant, we will withdraw the complaint from Google. Thank you for your cooperation in the matter."

Malone says this second request is a farce. "This is a classic bully tactic. To be told to remove all references to symbol depicting something as universal as a flame is simply ridiculous. For Tinder to claim exclusive rights to a flame, a universal symbol for hope, strength, passion, desire, heat, and romance is absurd. The Wild team will continue to stand behind all that the flame represents, and not just for our brand, but for all the growing brands blazing their own paths in a world where a few big names think they can extinguish their competition, at will."

"Does that really make sense that a company can own such a universal symbol?" Catherine added.

Wild is just one of a number of smaller brands hit with infringement allegations from Tinder in recent years.

"In our short four year history, we've made it a point to stand out as an app of integrity, life and principle. We are not going to back away from providing a fun, secure, sensual app experience for all our users, current and future, just because there's a Goliath in our industry that is feeling threatened by the success we have built over the last four years. This is not a stop sign for Wild – this is a qualifier that we are on the right track to continued growth and are more committed than ever to our users and to innovating for the future."

Wild has over 2 million active users, to date, and shows no signs of slowing down. Besides, Wild is also the first dating app which has added Photo Verification in 2016, a process using technology to verify photos combined with a manual review process for all images, guaranteeing clarity, quality, and authenticity of users and matches.

Wild is available now on iOS and Android.

https://apps.apple.com/app/wild-dating-app/id1080102131

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.free.hookup.dating.apps.wild 

Contact:

Catherine Malone
Marketing Director
[email protected]

SOURCE Justbewild.com