Zynga Inc (ZNGA), Bang With Friends Settle Trademark Fight

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Zynga Inc (NASDAQ:ZNGA) has apparently reached a settlement with the makers of the casual sex app Bang with Friends. That’s according to a court filing spotted by Mike Isaac of All Things D.

Zynga Inc (ZNGA), Bang With Friends Settle Trademark Fight

Trademark dispute settled

The social gaming company filed a lawsuit against Bang with Friends for use of the “with friends” name. Zynga Inc (NASDAQ:ZNGA) has a number of games which use the “with friends” phrase, and the company claimed that the maker of Bang with Friends was purposely trying to get in on its franchise by using the phrase in the name of its app. Zynga Inc (NASDAQ:ZNGA) has enjoyed some success with some of the more popular games in its “with friends” franchise, like Words with Friends and Scramble with Friends.

Today a spokesperson for Zynga Inc (NASDAQ:ZNGA) told All Things D that they had reached a settlement agreement with the makers of the casual sex app. Zynga and the makers of Bang with Friends are keeping the terms of the settlement confidential. However, they did say that Bang with Friends, Inc. acknowledges that Zynga Inc (NASDAQ:ZNGA) holds the trademark rights to the “with friends” name and will be changing the company’s name and also rebranding all of its services.

A spokesperson said more details on the changes at the company can be viewed at TheNextBang.com.

Zynga’s lawsuit part of a bigger trend?

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Isaac notes that the case between Zynga Inc (NASDAQ:ZNGA) and the casual sex app maker appears to be part of a larger trend among technology companies. It appears as if larger companies are starting to crack down on smaller ones which try to gain some attention by using language that’s similar to popular, well-known franchises.

Instagram and Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) have pursued companies which use either Insta or Gram in their names, and other gaming companies like Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) have pursued similar cases. Zynga itself was protecting its “with friends” franchise even before the suit with the makers of Bang with Friends surfaced. The company went after CupidWithFriends, a site run by Apartment 7, earlier this year. However, it appears as if Zynga dropped the dispute without filing a case when the company sent a letter stating it would not move into gaming.

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