The creators of the Bang With Friends app have reached a deal with Zynga whereby it will change the name of its app to avoid infringing on Zynga's "With Friends" trademark.
Bang With Friends did not reveal what its new name will be, except to say that it will be revealed in the "near future." However, the company was recently forced to change the name of its iOS app to "Down" in order to get past the Apple app approval process, and a new sign-up page invites user to "get down," so it's likely that the firm will start using that name across platforms.
In a statement, the two companies said they "are pleased that they have reached an amicable resolution of their dispute." Terms of the deal are confidential.
Zynga sued Bang With Friends in July, arguing that Bang With Friends was "free riding on recognized and valuable intellectual property rights.
According to the lawsuit, Zynga approached BWF "through informal efforts" prior to filing suit in order to secure a name change, but talks eventually broke down. Zynga argued that BWF chose the "With Friends" moniker "to leverage and deliberately trade on the fame of Zynga's 'With Friends' family of marks in order to get noticed quickly in the sea of Internet applications."
Bang With Friends describes itself as "a completely anonymous way to hook up with your Facebook friends." Sign in via Facebook or with the Android app (Apple yanked the iOS version in May), select the friends with whom you'd like to have a sexual encounter, and BWF will link you up if there are any matches. "Let your friends know you're down for the night," the tagline reads.
Bang With Friends debuted on the Web in January and went mobile on iOS and Android in May, but Apple quickly yanked the iOS version before allowing it to return as "Down" this summer.