The founder of the world’s largest Muslim dating app, Muzmatch, has said he will defend the brand against a lawsuit filed by American dating powerhouse Match Group for trademark infringement.
British-Asian Shahzad Younas, who founded Muzmatch in 2011 as a marriage website for Muslims, will face Match Group, the brand behind the popular dating apps Tinder, Hinge and OKCupid, at a hearing at the UK Intellectual Property and Enterprise Court (IPEC) in London later this month.
“The whole reason why we exist is because they don't serve our market and never have,” Mr Younas told The National.
“Our markets are separate and it actually hurts us to be confused with Match Group and Tinder so we defend the brand, hence why we go to trial" on January 17 and 18."
Match Group, which claims it “pioneered the concept of online dating” more than 20 years ago, has accused Muzmatch of using the word “match” in its website’s metadata to help boost its profile in internet searches.
Muzmatch’s keyword tags include “match-muslim” and “uk-muslim-match”, Match Group said, claiming the tags are an “attempt to ride on the coat-tails” of its registered marks.
However, Muzmatch said it will fight the claims because Match does not have a monopoly over the word “match” in dating searches.
The company said the brand's name is a play on the words muz for Muslim and match for matchmaking, with the company's sole focus to act as an online space for single Muslims to meet and marry.
While the start-up began as an online matchmaking site, it pivoted to become an app in 2015, with a valid US registration in place for the wordmark Muzmatch since 2015.
While it also has valid wordmarks for its name in France and Germany, Match Group opposed the company's EU trademark registration, asking Muzmatch to stop using its name — something the UK-based firm refused, although it did make some visual changes to its branding.
Match Group then initiated the first of four takeover offers for Muzmatch in 2017, with the final offer coming through in 2018 for $35m, which Mr Younas said he refused.
“I did not think it was a fair [offer] for our value and struggled to see what magic they would bring to us,” he said.
Then, in 2019, Match Group purchased Egyptian matchmaking app Harmonica, now known as Hawaya — a direct rival of Muzmatch.
Months later, the US company filed a suit against Muzmatch at the IPEC, claiming trademark infringement around the use of the Muzmatch brand, before following up in March with a separate suit in the US alleging patent infringement around the app's use of the swipe gesture, as well as cyber-piracy in relation to the branding.
“For the US lawsuit, we started to defend ourselves, but it becomes very expensive in the US. We're a start-up, we don't have that kind of money and in the end it didn't make sense for us to try to fight them in the US. So, in more of an economic judgment, we settled with Match Group to close that off”, Mr Younas said.
The company also made some changes to the app, removing the 'swiping' feature.
After successfully completing a $7 million Series A funding round in 2019, Mr Younas said he hoped to become “ a Muslim-focused tech unicorn”.
The company had 5 million members in 2021, and now has 60 staff members, with 150,000 people across the globe meeting their spouse on the site.
Mr Younas, a former algorithmic sales trader at Morgan Stanley who set up the company in his bedroom, quit his job in 2014 to develop the app full-time, with the company now operating in almost every country in the world and in 15 languages.
Meanwhile, Match Group, which employs 2,000 people worldwide, has a market capitalisation of about $37 billion and was added to the S&P 500 in September last year.
“We're worth a fraction of that,” Mr Younas said. “And we've wasted a stupid amount of money on all of this. It's a waste of time, money and energy, especially for a start-up trying to go as far as we can with fairly limited resources.”
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
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Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
Empty Words
By Mario Levrero
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
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Tips from the expert
Dobromir Radichkov, chief data officer at dubizzle and Bayut, offers a few tips for UAE residents looking to earn some cash from pre-loved items.
- Sellers should focus on providing high-quality used goods at attractive prices to buyers.
- It’s important to use clear and appealing photos, with catchy titles and detailed descriptions to capture the attention of prospective buyers.
- Try to advertise a realistic price to attract buyers looking for good deals, especially in the current environment where consumers are significantly more price-sensitive.
- Be creative and look around your home for valuable items that you no longer need but might be useful to others.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm
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Transmission: 6-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km
Price: Dh133,900
On sale: now
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Types of fraud
Phishing: Fraudsters send an unsolicited email that appears to be from a financial institution or online retailer. The hoax email requests that you provide sensitive information, often by clicking on to a link leading to a fake website.
Smishing: The SMS equivalent of phishing. Fraudsters falsify the telephone number through “text spoofing,” so that it appears to be a genuine text from the bank.
Vishing: The telephone equivalent of phishing and smishing. Fraudsters may pose as bank staff, police or government officials. They may persuade the consumer to transfer money or divulge personal information.
SIM swap: Fraudsters duplicate the SIM of your mobile number without your knowledge or authorisation, allowing them to conduct financial transactions with your bank.
Identity theft: Someone illegally obtains your confidential information, through various ways, such as theft of your wallet, bank and utility bill statements, computer intrusion and social networks.
Prize scams: Fraudsters claiming to be authorised representatives from well-known organisations (such as Etisalat, du, Dubai Shopping Festival, Expo2020, Lulu Hypermarket etc) contact victims to tell them they have won a cash prize and request them to share confidential banking details to transfer the prize money.
* Nada El Sawy
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The Sky Is Pink
Director: Shonali Bose
Cast: Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Farhan Akhtar, Zaira Wasim, Rohit Saraf
Three stars
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
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Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Three-day coronation
Royal purification
The entire coronation ceremony extends over three days from May 4-6, but Saturday is the one to watch. At the time of 10:09am the royal purification ceremony begins. Wearing a white robe, the king will enter a pavilion at the Grand Palace, where he will be doused in sacred water from five rivers and four ponds in Thailand. In the distant past water was collected from specific rivers in India, reflecting the influential blend of Hindu and Buddhist cosmology on the coronation. Hindu Brahmins and the country's most senior Buddhist monks will be present. Coronation practices can be traced back thousands of years to ancient India.
The crown
Not long after royal purification rites, the king proceeds to the Baisal Daksin Throne Hall where he receives sacred water from eight directions. Symbolically that means he has received legitimacy from all directions of the kingdom. He ascends the Bhadrapitha Throne, where in regal robes he sits under a Nine-Tiered Umbrella of State. Brahmins will hand the monarch the royal regalia, including a wooden sceptre inlaid with gold, a precious stone-encrusted sword believed to have been found in a lake in northern Cambodia, slippers, and a whisk made from yak's hair.
The Great Crown of Victory is the centrepiece. Tiered, gold and weighing 7.3 kilograms, it has a diamond from India at the top. Vajiralongkorn will personally place the crown on his own head and then issues his first royal command.
The audience
On Saturday afternoon, the newly-crowned king is set to grant a "grand audience" to members of the royal family, the privy council, the cabinet and senior officials. Two hours later the king will visit the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, the most sacred space in Thailand, which on normal days is thronged with tourists. He then symbolically moves into the Royal Residence.
The procession
The main element of Sunday's ceremonies, streets across Bangkok's historic heart have been blocked off in preparation for this moment. The king will sit on a royal palanquin carried by soldiers dressed in colourful traditional garb. A 21-gun salute will start the procession. Some 200,000 people are expected to line the seven-kilometre route around the city.
Meet the people
On the last day of the ceremony Rama X will appear on the balcony of Suddhaisavarya Prasad Hall in the Grand Palace at 4:30pm "to receive the good wishes of the people". An hour later, diplomats will be given an audience at the Grand Palace. This is the only time during the ceremony that representatives of foreign governments will greet the king.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
A State of Passion
Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi
Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah
Rating: 4/5
