BBC.COM - The Court of Appeal upheld a June 2022 ruling that the average consumer would have thought Muzmatch - now Muzz - was part of Match Group, which also owns Tinder. Muzz has criticised the ruling, calling the legal action "deeply worrying for other start-ups in the dating sector". Muzz launched in the UK in 2015 as Muzmatch, a dating app specifically for Muslims. Match Group has attempted to purchase the business on four separate occasions, including making an offer of £28M ($35M), which was turned down.
53 posts categorized "Muzmatch"
Muzz Loses Appeal Against Match Group
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Underdog Muzz Stands Defiant Against Match Group's Intimidation Tactics in Trademark Dispute
ARABIAN BUSINESS - Muzz, the world's largest Muslim dating app, has accused Match Group of aggressive intimidation tactics following a lengthy legal battle. Muzz recently lost its trademark in a UK appeal and was forced to change its name. Match Group is accused of using this power to intimidate other players, especially those with fewer resources for legal defense. Despite settling in the US and rebranding from muzmatch to Muzz, the UK appeal failed. Muzz has now urged the Federal Trade Commission to investigate Match Group's anti-competitive behavior. Match Group had reportedly attempted to acquire Muzz four times and subsequently filed a complaint when they didn't get the acquisition. Muzz views these actions as a calculated attempt by Match Group to maintain its dominance by litigating smaller competitors. The legal battle has been draining for Muzz, both personally and professionally, with costs approaching $2M.
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Muzz to Host Speed Dating Night for Muslim Singles in London
THE NATIONAL NEWS - Muzz, a Muslim dating app previously known as Muzmatch, is organising a dating event for its members. Muzz is planning to bring together 500 women and 500 men. It will be held under one roof in London. The event includes icebreaker games, six-minute interactions with potential matches, and an after party with mocktails and food vans.
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Muzz Is Raising $400K to Support Syrian Refugees
LINKEDIN - Despite financial challenges and lawsuits, Muzz (formerly muzmatch) is raising $400K for Syrian Refugees in Turkey, partnering with Muslim Aid USA, particularly for earthquake-affected housing. Muzz is matching donations to achieve its goal. Previous accomplishments include a school in Pakistan, a bakery for East Sudan refugees, and two mobile clinics for Palestine.
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Muzz Fights Third Lawsuit from Match Group and Calls for FTC Investigation
LINKEDIN - Match Group has sued Muzz (formerly muzmatch) for the third time over a patent related to digital matchmaking (Patent 666 - "Matching Process System and Method"), day after their appeal hearing in the UK. Muzz asserts that it declined Match Group's acquisition offers and has invested ~$1M in countering their legal actions. Muzz is calling on the Federal Trade Commission to investigate Match Group's dominant position and treatment of competitors.
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Dating App Muzz Fights to Overturn Trademark Loss
LAW360 - Muzz (previously Muzzmatch), an online dating service aimed at Muslims, has recently found itself embroiled in a legal battle with Match Group. Match Group has accused Muzz of infringing on their trademarks by using the word "match" in their name, which they claim is causing confusion among users. However, Muzz has maintained that there is no evidence to suggest that users have actually confused the two brands. The case has now made its way to the London appeals court, where Muzz is urging the court to throw out the ruling made against them.
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Muzz Raised 121K For Turkey in 2 Days
OPW - Dating app Muzz is raising money to provide emergency aid to earthquake survivors in Turkey. They're working in partnership with Muslim Aid to provide shelter, food and hygiene products to Turkish residents and Syrian refugees in the affected areas.
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Muzz Introduces Selfie and Identity Verification From Yoti
YOTI - Muzz (formerly muzmatch) has partnered with digital identity company Yoti. Users are required to take a selfie, which will be analyzed by Yoti's proprietary passive liveness technology, MyFace. Muzz has also integrated Yoti's identity verification technology. Members can verify their identity for free. Muzz will boost the verified profiles, giving these daters a higher chance of connecting with more people.
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Muzz 2022 Recap
OPW - Muzz (formerly Muzmatch) is taking a look at 2022 and everything that happened last year as the company approaches ~8M members worldwide. Despite losing the legal battle with Match Group when it lost the right to use the word "match" in its name, Muzz had a record-breaking year of growth and viral marketing campaigns. In 2022, Muzz took over the Pakistani market, opened an office in the USA, launched in France, raised money for multiple charities, and opened a school in Pakistan!
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Muzz Feature in Apple Store
OPW - Muzz was just featured in the Apple app store here. Here is our summary.
Muzz claims 350k marriages and has ~7m users. The app enables (users) to keep photos blurred for extra privacy and filter for matches who are aligned on religious beliefs and be specific about marriage timeline and, if needed, a chaperone can be included in conversations. Founder Shahzad Younas said. "Muzz is transforming how 2 billion Muslims meet and marry, but in a way that respects Islamic etiquette." Muzz was built for marriage. Shahzad said. "We even make everyone sign an oath saying they're on Muzz with the right intentions."
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Muzz Gonna Pay Any Fines Women in France Get for Wearing a 'Burkini'
6IX - Muzz, a popular dating app for Muslims with 6M users, is taking a stand and supporting the rights of Muslim women who want to cover their bodies while also enjoying a day at the beach. France doesn't allow women to wear a burkini in public pools for religious reasons. They say it violates government neutrality toward religion. Muzz will give money back to anyone who receives a burkini fine in France (up to a total of €25K) this summer.
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Muzz Celebrated Its New Brand in London and New York
OPW - Muzz (formerly Muzmatch) celebrates the launch of its new name in London and New York. The Muslim dating app lost the right to use its name following the legal battle with MatchGroup and was renamed Muzz.
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Muzmatch (now Muzz) Loses Bid to Appeal UK Trademark Row
LAW360 - A London judge has declined to grant Muzmatch, a British dating app for Muslims, permission to appeal his ruling that Muzmatch had infringed the trademarks of the Match Group.
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Muzmatch Is Now Muzz
OPW - Muzmatch has lost the legal battle with Match Group over the use of the word "match" in its name. Muzmatch is now Muzz, and the app has also added two new features - profile videos and voice intros.
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Match Wins Trademark Case Against Muzmatch
NEW YORK TIMES - A London court ruled that Muzmatch infringed on Match trademarks, on Wednesday. Match Group ($3b revenue, 16m paying users) sued Muzmatch for infringing on its trademarked logo, using "match" in its name, and "unfairly benefiting" from the company’s reputation and investment in its brand. The ruling, from London's Intellectual Property Enterprise Court, could mean Muzmatch (6m users, $9m financing) must change its name and pay damages. Founder/CEO, Shahzad Younas, said Muzmatch would appeal. Match objected to the trademark registration for "Muzmatch" in Europe and the United States in 2016. Match also objected to the use of a heart and the font in Muzmatch's logo at the time, which were eventually removed. Match made approaches to buy the company, eventually offering up to $35m in 2019. Mr. Younas turned the offer down. Later that year, Match acquired Harmonica, a Muslim dating start-up in Egypt. "This is just their tactic," he said. "They'll court you, they'll get your data, they'll try and buy you, and when that doesn't work, they'll either go after a competitor or they'll just kill you," Mr. Younas said. "A million dollars for them in legal fees is small change. For us, it's everything."
by Aina J Khan
See full article at New York Times
Mark Brooks: I sympathize with Shahzad and Muzmatch. However, Match has to defend its name and trademark, along with its IP. It's simply not an option for them to not. Therefore, if you have a niche+match or match+niche type name, and anything in the way of scale and an official trademark application, then Match may well come simultaneously knocking, with guns cocked. This of course impairs your M&A valuation. Best to steer well clear of Match in your name in the context of Internet dating. The precedent is set. Match will sound and then fire its cannons at you if you encroach on their apparent domain. This may be unfair, but at least it is predictable.
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