It was awarded after the defendants did not attend court proceedings for an infringement hearing put forward by Hoccer. MTCH, which operates Tinder, is requesting a stay of enforcement against the decision. In January , an infringement case was filed by communication service Hoccer for the German part of European patent EP 2 45 There are four defendants in the case, including three US entities and one European entity.
The case was split into two corresponding processes. The fourth European proceedings were scheduled for May All four defendants operate under the Tinder brand. Berlin-based company Hoccer develops messengers for ad-hoc communication on mobile devices. This includes its Hoccer app, which since has enabled encrypted data exchange between users.
Tinder is a location-based, app-driven dating site which allows users to swipe through other user profiles in order to find a match.
Therefore, no representative of Tinder was present at the oral hearing in Munich in May; the Regional Court Munich passed a default judgment on 6 June.
The judgment includes an injunction stating that, until further notice, Germany is no longer a viable location for the Tinder app and must cease offering its core services in the country.
