Dating Services

Late last year, a lawsuit was discreetly filed by Spark’s popular niche dating website JDate against dating app JSwipe. According to Forbes who broke the story, JDate claimed that JSwipe was infringing on the company’s trademark “J” by using it in the name of their app.

JDate isn’t the only Jewish online dating website that caters to the Jewish community and uses the letter “J” in its offerings. There is also JCrush, JWed, JPeopleMeet, Jewish Café, and Jewcier to name a few. In fact, it seems difficult to name a niche dating app catering to the Jewish community without using the letter J. But there is more to the story, which potentially puts all online dating sites and apps in danger of patent infringement.

In the lawsuit, JDate also claims it owns the patent on software that “confidentially determines matches and notifies users of mutual matches in feelings and interests.” JSwipe is similar in its process to Tinder, which also notifies users when matches swipe right on their picture. This is in violation of JDate’s patent.

Why then has JDate not sued other websites or dating apps, since this is such a broad definition of matching that almost every dating app and website uses? Notifying users of potential matches is the bread and butter of online dating. Why not go after an app like Tinder?

The key might lie in the competition JSwipe presents, especially if it is gaining market share in the niche online dating space. According to the Forbes writer who broke the story, JSwipe’s founder David Yarus confidentially confessed the lawsuit to him, though he is forbidden from discussing details. Instead of accepting JDate’s acquisition offer (which he considered too low), he decided to fight the lawsuit rather than sell. (For all you fans of Silicon Valley on HBO, this sounds vaguely similar to Pied Piper’s plight as an up-and-comer in the tech world.)

But JDate might have a case against JSwipe. According to Forbe’s research into intellectual property law, the language used in JDate’s patent was registered in 1999, and it is broad – broad enough (as mentioned earlier) to cover most dating websites and apps on the market today – so they could essentially claim IP infringement over any other company in the space. According to analysts, this might be a move by JDate to acquire JSwipe for a steal. Chances are if they tried to sue Match or Tinder, those companies' lawyers would be able to fight and win. JSwipe is too small a player.

Using the letter “J” in a dating app or website is apparently less clear-cut in legal terms. JDate would have to find evidence that users confuse Jswipe with JDate, which means asking users to testify that they thought Jswipe was part of JDate, or somehow affiliated, which would be trickier and more time-consuming.

JSwipe is fighting back. They have set up a crowdfunding website and asked for Jewish lawyers to take them on pro bono. 

For more on the Spark Networks dating site, you can read our review of JDate.

OkCupid has built a strong reputation for taking a more progressive approach to online dating. Back in 2014, the company began offering users more options for self-identification. Gender was expanded to include agender, androgynous, genderfluid, intersex, and more. Choices for sexual orientation were also extended, including asexual, pansexual, queer, and questioning.

Now OkCupid is continuing its efforts for more inclusive representation. The company recently launched a new project called 'Identity' to encourage conversation about sexual orientation and gender identity.

“When OkCupid expanded the available gender and orientation options,” reads the Identity website, “we realized there was a larger conversation taking place. Because dictionary definitions aren’t always able to tell a story, we went to real people to add some color to this evolving language. Here are descriptions from those who claim these words for themselves.”

Musicians are having to find new and more organic ways to promote their new albums, since people are discovering content in different ways outside of traditional radio. To capture new – and especially younger – fans, artists who are serious about promotion are now looking to dating apps, and finding some success.

Millennials are the largest group of consumers of music, and they also tend to be on dating apps like Tinder and Grindr. So it only makes sense that music and dating apps would eventually come together.

Some recent examples: Madonna's latest album was advertised on Grindr, a dating app for gay men, while Jason Derulo debuted a music video on Tinder. PlentyofFish was one of the first dating sites to link itself to an artist, by making an appearance in Derulo’s 2010 video for his song “Ridin Solo.” POF also worked with Lady Gaga during a U.S. tour, offering fans a chance to win tickets and backstage passes.

Other popular dating sites are linking to musicians, too - Mariah Carey premiered her music video for the single, "Infinity" via her new profile on Match.com, and DJ-producer Afrojack answered questions about love and relationships for eight hours on Match’s Twitter account to promote his new single.

The latest musician to take advantage of the wide reach of dating apps is Zedd, the Grammy-winning DJ-producer. He worked with Tinder to promote his album, "True Colors," released last month, by setting up his profile on the dating app. While Tinder users searched for dates, they would come across Zedd's promotional profile. They could swipe left or right, as with any other potential match. But instead of messaging him or setting up a date, if they swiped right, they could purchase his new album at a discounted price of $3.99 (compared to $7.99 on iTunes).

According to a recent story from Associated Press, “True Colors” debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 albums chart its first week with 39,000 copies sold. While no specifics were given about how many sales were the direct result of Tinder users swiping right on Zedd’s profile, chances are the app had something to do with the album’s popular debut.

According to Tinder, eighty-five percent of its users are between the ages 18-34, and the average user spends about 11 minutes on the app each day — one of the main reasons artists are looking to work with Tinder in particular. It makes sense. Since users’ engagement with dating apps is pretty high, artists have their attention, at least for a few seconds, which is long enough to swipe right and learn more.

It’s a revolutionary time in online dating. Now your physiology will be making decisions about who you should date, instead of having to rely on your own decision-making process to swipe left and right.

The new Tinder app debuting on Apple Watch called Hands-Free Tinder, created by developers from Austin-based integrated marketing and advertising firm T3, links a person’s heart rate to their interest in potential matches. Since pulse rates quicken when you are attracted to someone, the technology tracks this and suggests that you are a match. If there’s no quickening of heart rate? Then it’s an automatic rejection.

The process is entirely automated, meaning you don’t have to do the swiping yourself. The watch app does it for you. (Which kind of takes the fun out of Tinder, doesn’t it?) By simply looking at someone’s picture, the app will determine whether to reject or accept a match, all based on the user’s heart rate.

The Apple Watch won’t be the only wearable technology getting the new Tinder app – it will also become available soon on Google Play, so Android wearables will offer Hands Free Tinder, too.

“Swiping left and right is a thing of the past,” explained the developers to the UK’s Daily Mail. “After we found out that the Apple Watch could detect heart rate, we went to work developing hands-free Tinder. Now you can follow your heart to the right match.”

An article in Tech Times pointed out the precariousness of relying on heart rates to monitor attraction or interest in a potential date. Hands-free Tinder does not discriminate. If you are excited in that moment, whether it’s because you saw an old friend or took the first sip of a delicious drink, then your watch will right-swipe for you. The same thing goes if you are excited in a bad way, like if you witness an accident or suddenly remembered that you didn’t turn the stove off when you left the house. It will swipe right for you in these instances, too, because your heart rate goes up. So it’s important to not allow yourself to be distracted while you’re using the new app.

The smartphone helped propel online dating into the mainstream, making it easier than ever for people to choose or reject matches based mostly on a few photos. It has also encouraged our tendency toward laziness, especially when it comes to dating. Instead of manually accepting or rejecting matches, the next evolution of online dating says it will be done for us. Where’s the fun in that?

For more information on this dating app you can go ahead and read our review of Tinder.

Anupam Mittal, Founder and CEO of Shaadi.com, has stepped down from his role as CEO of the company. According to reports, he will now focus on Shaadi's corporate developments, new businesses, and international expansions. Gourav Rakshit, former chief operating officer, will take over Mittal's role as CEO of Shaadi.com.

“Day to day responsibilities will now move to Gourav, while I still continue to guide the company with a focus on corporate development and acquisitions,” said Mittal.

Rakshit, who has already been looking after day to day operations of the venture, will take on full responsibility for Shaadi.com. He is an MBA alumnus of IIM-Ahmedabad who has held various positions at Shaadi since October 2007. Previously, he worked at Infosys, Planetasia, and Nestle.

The change comes after a few major moves in Mittal's world. His People Group, which includes app store Mobango and mobile media firm Mauj, merged its property listing portal Makaan with online property broker Proptiger for an undisclosed sum. Makaan continues to operate as an independent entity following the deal.

In January this year, People Group acquired a 25% stake in dating app Thrill, which merged with People Group's dating website Fropper.com.

People Group hopes its next big move will be a new round of funding for Shaadi. The company is looking for at least $100 million to finance its expansion plans.

In preparation, Shaadi has hired Aditya Save, former head of Marico's global centre of excellence for digital and media, to replace Abhishek Maloo as chief marketing officer. Maloo will join Mittal in the corporate development team.

Finally, Shaadi has brought on Ketan Doshi as chief technology officer. Doshi is an IIT-Bombay and Stanford graduate, as well as the former director of product development at BMC Software. Both Save and Doshi will report to Rakshit.

Mittal started Shaadi.com in 1996 before forming People Group to look at other opportunities in the technology arena. He is an active angel investor who has contributed to over 60 startups. According to reports, Shaadi has made over 3.2 million matches as of 2013.

Spark Networks operates two of the best-known niche dating sites in the biz – JDate and ChristianMingle – but lately both brands have taken a hit. JDate's userbase has slowly been declining, while ChristianMingle saw an abrupt drop following a cut in advertising spending.

Now Spark Networks is making plans to implement a broad turnaround strategy. The strategy is divided into two action items: upgrade technology for both websites and redeploy advertising funds for ChristianMingle in a more intelligent manner.

To fully understand the need for a technological upgrade, you first have to appreciate how far Spark Networks has come. Its sites have used the same basic technology and design for the last seven years, a feat practically unheard of in the Internet Age. An update is long overdue.

Mobile versions of the sites are either already available or will be launched soon, and a revamping of site architecture is in progress. The latter project means making future adjustments to keep up with the changing times will be a much simpler matter.

Where marketing is concerned, JDate has little to worry about. The site is so well known that it spreads primarily by word of mouth, and about 90% of its revenue remains after accounting for direct expenses. ChristianMingle, on the other hand, has struggled to achieve the same notoriety despite having more overall users.

The new marketing strategy for ChristianMingle has multiple components. First, the site will focus on select urban centers rather than large nationwide campaigns. The company plans to partner with mega churches and Christian organizations to deepen their ties within communities.

Second, Spark will make changes to its internal emailing efforts. Email blasts sent to all users will be nixed in favor of highly targeted messages sent to the right consumer, at the right time.

Finally, Spark is looking to attract new users who don't consider faith the most important thing in their lives. The company plans to bring more humor into its advertising in hopes of appealing to an audience who doesn't consider Christianity to be as central to who they are. Unlocking this larger portion of the market should give Spark a dramatically larger pool of potential subscribers to draw from.

Plans farther down the line involve expanding revenue opportunities by providing products throughout the life-cycle of a relationship and beginning a fremium website aimed at younger users. Both could be serious boons to ChristianMingle's turnaround strategy, but for now they're on hold until Spark Networks executes its current goals.