The 'Tinder for threesomes' is changing its name after getting sued by Tinder
The wildly popular Match Group-owned dating app has been suing 3nder, a far small British dating app aimed at polyamorous and kink-friendly dating app sometimes referred to (though not marketed as) "Tinder for threesomes."
Tinder alleged that 3nder's name - superficially similar to Tinder - infringed upon its trademark.
And as of Tuesday, it seems to have won that battle: 3nder has just rebranded to "Feeld."
In a statement, Feeld CEO Dimo Trifonov tries to paint the change in a positive light. "A future rebrand has always been part of my long term thinking for the company," he argues. "Early on it was clear 3nder was more than just an app for threesomes. Feeld is a place where people feel free to explore along their personal boundaries."
In previous responses to legal letters, Trifonov had flatly denied that 3nder's name was derived from Tinder's.
"The name reflects the original concept that I developed involving the contraction of the world 'three' and 'friender' and my choice of word had nothing to do with the Tinder word used by your clients," the CEO wrote. "Phonetically the most obvious and intended pronunciation of the brand is therefore 'Three-ender' not 'Thrinder' as you suggest, which makes neither phonetic sense, nor bears any relation to the underlying app itself."
It's not clear whether Tinder now intends to drop its lawsuit: A statement from Feeld says the lawsuit is "ongoing," and Tinder declined to comment.
Feeld says that more than 1.5 million people have downloaded it since its July 2014 launch, and three million messages get sent every month. It recently launched an Android version of its app.