I'm currently developing a dating app. It has some features similar to Grindr/Tindr, but the overall idea is incredibly different. I found that Zoosk, Grindr, and JDate all have patents on certain gps/matching features, and I'm wondering how strict patent law is in this regards. There are HUNDREDS of apps, and THOUSANDS of websites utilizing features that would seemingly go against these broad patents, but not really any law suits that I've heard of.
Is this because the apps/websites are just small fish at the moment? Perhaps they have licenses from those patent holders? Perhaps they changed the methodology of getting such matches, etc?
I don't understand how such simple ideas such as "if A likes B, and B likes A, message and let them both know" can be patented... But JDate does have such a patent and it's been active for 14 years now... Wouldn't EVERY single App like OKCupid, Tinder conflict?
Grind has SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PROVIDING LOCATION-BASED CASCADING DISPLAYS US 8,606,297 B1 (12/2013).
JDATE has METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DETECTION OF RECIPROCAL INTERESTS OR FEELINGS AND SUBSEQUENT NOTIFICATION 5,950,200 (9/1999).
Zoosk has SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR IDENTIFYING NEARBY’ COMPATIBLE USERS US2013/0145288A1 (6/2014).