Match.com is a popular Dallas-based online dating service available in over 20 countries in 12 different languages. They have offices located in West Hollywood, San Francisco, Tokyo, Rio De Janeiro, and Beijing. The HQ is in Dallas, Tx 75225.
Match is a subsidiary of Match Group LLC, which owns the trademark for several online dating services. Match.com specifically was voted the best for variety by Glamour Magazine in 2021, which is no surprise since Match boasts over 20 million users worldwide! These numbers undoubtedly contribute to the Match Group’s overall estimated worth standing at a staggering $6.5 billion.
The Match.com Domain
The Match.com domain was registered in 1998 and will expire in May 2022 unless renewed beforehand. The federal status of this trademark filing is ”Registered and Renewed”.
Match.com became a registered trademark in May of 1995 and is presently up to date.
Read more about domain names and trademarks.
Match.com History
Gary Kremen and Peng T Ong founded match.com in 1993, though the company running Match.com was formally named Electric Classifieds Inc at that time.
In the beginning, Ong Assisted Kremen by helping to design the initial system, and Simon Glinsky assisted with the business plan, product development, services to the LGBT communities, and creating marketing strategies.
Match.com officially launched as a beta in 1995 and appeared in Wired magazine that same year. They would go on to become one of the most prominent pioneers for online dating into the digital era.
In 2001, Match.com partnered with AOL and MSN, believing that Love@AOL and MSN dating would allow a more diverse audience to access Match.com.
In February 2009, IAC incorporated Match Group. Since then, they have also built an impressive list of acquisitions. Among these acquisitions were SinglesNet, Blackpeoplemeet.com, and OurTime.com. They also attempted to acquire the group Bumble (which was set up by an ex-tinder employee); however, the acquisition was unsuccessful.
They did manage to acquire Hinge successfully, and while the specifics of this deal remain undisclosed, it is thought that millions in cash and stocks were paid for Hinge. The Match Group bought a 51% majority stake in Hinge in 2018 and completely owned 100% of the brand by 2019. Hinge is growing in popularity, particularly in London and New York, and in 2018 registered almost 6 Million dollars in revenue.
In 2012, OkCupid was acquired by the Match Group. In April 2014, Match launched an innovative mobile app with a feature called ”Stream” which used location services to match people based upon photographs using similar algorithms to one of its other subsidiaries, Tinder.
In August 2020, despite the Covid-19 pandemic that damaged many businesses, the Match Group reported large profits and millions of extra subscribers.
Overall, the Match group has gone from strength to strength since its incorporation and has become a giant in the world of dating services and social networking. They own the most extensive portfolio of dating apps and introduction services in the world.
Other Match Group LLC domains & trademarks
The Match Group owns several domain names and trademarks; other dating sites and services, slogans, advertising material, and more are included in this category.
Listed below are some of the most well-known.
Chemistry.com
The domain for Chemistry.com was registered in November 1994 and will expire in November of 2022 unless they file for renewal beforehand.
There are several associated trademarks, but the most up-to-date seems to be from 2009.
Chemistry.com is the sister site of Match.com and is a similar site with an enhanced focus on chemistry and compatibility. The site is aimed at helping members find a long-term relationship using strategies designed to predict levels of compatibility.
OkCupid.com
OkCupid is another internationally operated dating site that is particularly popular with the LGBT+ community for its attempts at inclusivity and support for the community. It is a free app (with paid subscription options) and was acquired by the Match Group LLC in 2012; the domain was initially registered in March of 2003 and will expire in June of 2022 unless they file for renewal before then. It remains one of the most popular dating sites.
OkCupid was initially registered with the USPTO in 2007 and had its first use anywhere date of February 2004.
Tinder.com
Tinder is one of the most widely used dating apps, and it is a popular double opt-in matchmaking service that requires two users to swipe right on each other to affirm they would like to be connected. Over 65 billion matches have been recorded to date. Tinder could be considered one of the most popular dating sites owned by the match group.
Tinder’s first use anywhere date was 2012 and was first registered with the united states patent and trademark office in 2015. Tinder is one of the Match Groups’ most lucrative assets, being independently valued at around $1.35 billion in its own right.
The domain Tinder.com was registered in October of 1998 and is set to expire in October 2022 unless it has been renewed before then.
PlentyOfFish.com
Plenty of Fish was launched in 2003 by Markus Frind; in 2004, it was so successful that it was a full-time money-making project for Frind. Until 2008 he ran the site independently, at which point he began hiring employees to work for the organization in Vancouver.
Despite its humble beginnings and having under 100 employees in 2015, Plenty Of Fish and all of its intellectual property was acquired by the Match group in 2015 for around $575 million, which further solidified its hold on the dating market. The website domain Pof.com was first registered in 2000 and will expire in February of 2022 if it has not been renewed before then.
Match.com Make Love Happen
The match group submitted a trademark application for the slogan ”Make love happen” in 2005; the first recorded use was in 2008, part of a successful advertising campaign. The trademark slogan and associated logo remain current and registered.
Find out more about How to Trademark a Slogan here
Love is complicated; Match is simple.
This is another slogan that was registered by the match group and used in a successful advertising campaign. It was registered in 2008, and the trademark registration remains current today.
Wrapping Up
The Match Group has grown exponentially to become the most significant player in the online dating world, pioneering online dating as a concept over their 20+ year history. From a humble beginning to one of the largest multi-billion dollar corporations in the world, it would be a gross oversight not to protect this position legally by registering their intellectual property. Trademarking is one area of business management that can be overlooked, and often, this will have dire consequences.
Trademarking your intellectual property allows you to work within the framework of copyright law to enforce and defend your rights as a business owner; the Match Group values these legal protections as they are trademark owners of more than 50 separate trademarks.
