LAW360 – Mar 23 – A man who accused Lori Cheek, a dating service founder, of stealing his idea for online dating "in reverse" and "outing" his sexuality must now pay attorney fees and more for the outlandish accusations that went on for too long, the Federal Circuit ruled on Monday. Alfred Pirri Jr. and his counsel are liable for attorney fees and double costs in Pirri's lawsuit against Lori Cheek and her company Cheek'd Inc.
Category: Cheek’d
Q&A With Lori Cheek, Founder and CEO of Cheekd
TECH ROUND – Mar 9 – After setting up a profile and filters, Cheekd will send users' notifications when a potential is nearby. And because Cheekd uses Bluetooth, it doesn't require an Internet connection. Users will get a notification if someone who meets their criteria is within 30 feet of them.
Q: How did you come up with the idea for the company?
A: In 2008, I was out to dinner with a colleague. He'd spotted an attractive woman and scribbled, "Want to have dinner?" on the back of his business card and slipped it to her as we were leaving the restaurant. He left with a date. I left with an idea. I launched Cheekd – a deck of ice-breaking dating cards with a unique code that lead the recipient to the privacy protected online dating profile. We've since pivoted Cheekd into a hyper-speed app that gives singles the ability to never miss a real-life potential "love connection."
Q: What can we hope to see from Cheekd in the future?
A: My plan is to expand and create a spin off tp allow users to have a more organic, yet virtual way, of making connections for anything from business, networking, fitness, friendship or hobbies.
by Dana Leigh
See full article at Tech Round
Lori Cheek, Founder of Dating App Cheek’d Defeats Alfred Pirri in Court
CRAIN'S NEW YORK BUSINESS – Jan 3 – Lori Cheek, a Manhattan architect, had appeared on Shark Tank a few years ago to pitch Cheek'd – an online dating service she invented. After watching the show, former car salesman Alfred Pirri Jr. sued Cheek, accusing her of stealing his idea. Pirri claimed he talked about his business plan with his therapist, who then told Cheek. Lori Cheek said she had no idea who the therapist was. Over the holidays, a federal judge in Manhattan dismissed the lawsuit including other claims against Cheek.
How U.S. Patent and Litigation Abuse Can Deter Small Inventors: The Story of Cheek’d
IP WATCH DOG – Apr 15 – "I wish I'd never filed for this patent," says Lori Cheek, founder of Cheek'd dating app. Her patent No. 8543465 addressed: A method, software product and card for personal online/offline meeting. She applied for this patent in 2010 and it was granted on Sep 24, 2013. Soon after, a friend suggested she apply to be a contestant on Shark Tank. Her episode aired in 2014. The criticism she received on the show did cause Cheek to reconsider the business idea. She and her partner soon after developed a Bluetooth dating app, abandoning the card-based approach.
Q: What happened after your Shark Tank appearance?
A: I got an email from Alfred Pirri lawyer. After seeing a rerun of my Shark Tank episode, he was claiming he had the idea for my business in 2006, told his therapist about it in 2008, and that she had then told me – even though I've never met the therapist in my life. He is suing me for ~$5M.
Q: How has this experience made you feel about the U.S. patent and legal systems?
A: I just don't understand how it can even go this far. I've joined forces with a group of other inventors who are reaching out to Congressman Jerrold Nadler to see if he can change the system to make it easier for inventors to hold onto and enforce their rights.
Q: What advice do you have for other aspiring inventors?
A: I would still say go through the motions and read up on the risks—definitely still get a patent, and trademarking is important. I've asked my lawyer what I could have done differently, and he said I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time and that if I hadn't gone on Shark Tank, I wouldn't be here.
Cheek's lawyer, Lawrence Goodwin, said that Pirri's lawsuit is "a fantasy". "We've got solid evidence that she came up with the idea before Pirri even started the therapy," Goodwin said. But that doesn't change the fact that Cheek will have to shell out thousands while the case makes its way through the system.
A Man Claims Cheek’d Stole His Dating App Idea Via Therapist
POLIPACE – Mar 15 – Alfred Pirri claims that Cheek'd founder stole his dating app idea from 2008, and made it into a patent worth million. He believes that his idea, shared with a therapist made it to Lori Cheek, one of the creators of the app. So he's suing her in court for ~$1M. Lori Cheek says she has never met the man, nor his therapist.
by Jay Wissot
See full article at Polipace
The Story And Lawsuit Behind Dating App Cheekd
THE FASHION LAW – Oct 3 – Imagine that during your therapy session you tell your therapist about a new dating app that you have in the works. Despite asking Joanne Richards, the therapist, not to tell anyone about the idea, she does. She tells her friend, Lori Cheek, who launches Cheekd. This is what Alfred Pirri claims happened to him. He filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit in federal court in New York last month against Lori Cheek for fraud, trade secret misappropriation, unjust enrichment, and conversion. As Pirri alleges, Richards informed him that she had told a friend about his idea for an app, but she assured him that Cheek was "not going to do anything with the idea". In addition to suing Cheek, Pirri names Richards in his suit, alleging that she breached her fiduciary duty. Pirri has asked the court to invalidate Cheek's patent, and to order the defendants to discontinue use of the Cheekd site and app. Pirri has also asked to disgorge all of the defendants' profits resulting from their use of his idea and to pay $1M in damages.
5 Takeaways From Dating App Founder Lori Cheek
Q: How do you convince people to try your app?
A: I say that Cheekd is not really online dating. It’s to make ice-breaking connections in the real world. After setting up your page and what you're looking for, Cheekd will then send you notifications when a potential match is within 30 feet of you.
Q: You come from 15 years in architecture. Have you taken anything from that experience to the startup life?
A: My background in design has come in handy. I've got an eye for detail which has helped streamlining the UX and design of our app.
Q: Do you see any potential for the tech behind Cheekd for something other than love?
A: Absolutely! Our app is a Bluetooth app so notifies you when someone comes within a 30-foot radius of you. It will be great for conferences and networking events.
Q: What have you learned?
A: Team is everything. The technical aspect of my business has been one of the bigger challenges, and it's the one thing I definitely would have approached differently from day one. I needed a CTO.
Q: How has your experience on ABC's Shark Tank affected your career?
A: After getting shot down by all five Sharks, I looked them in the eye, and said, "Trust that you’ll all see me again."
Cheekd Set To Give It Another Go As A “Missed Connection” Dating App
DNAINFO – July 30 – Dating app Cheekd now wants to connect people who walk past each other in real life. Users will be automatically notified if someone else within 30 feet of them also has the app. If they like their profiles, they can “get cheeky”, which means express interest in each other. CEO Lori Cheek started working on the project years ago. She went on ABC’s “Shark Tank” show to pitch an earlier version of the app, where users handed out cards to people they were interested in. None of the sharks wanted to invest $100K in the company, but Cheek ended up raising more from other sources. That’s when she started revamping the idea.
Is It Time To Quit? How To Know For Sure
ENTREPRENEUR – July 2 – Lori Cheek was covering the costs of her dating service Cheek’d by digging into her 15 years of savings. She is out of money to continue building her dream, business card-like dating service where singles hand out cards with flirtatious messages to strangers for $20 – $25 a set. Certain individuals find it difficult to let go when a startup goes south. How do you spot the warning signs that it might be best to call it quits? Finding yourself focused more on keeping a business alive than ensuring a safe place to live is one clue. And looking at how healthy your current relationships are can act as a barometer. Cheek said her business helped her find a fiancée but that relationship ended, in large part due to her passion for the business. “I’m thinking I’m onto something,” says Cheek, whose venture is now four years old. “There’s nothing that’s going to make me stop.”
Cheek’d: The 2.0 Version Of “Call Me”
KILLER STARTUPS – Sep 14 – Lori Cheek is behind the disrupting online and offline dating service, Cheek’d. The idea of Cheek’d was birthed several years ago, while Lori and an architect friend were having dinner. Across the table, Lori noticed him writing “Want to have dinner,” on the back of a business card. He then handed the card to a woman at a nearby table as they left the restaurant. Lori says that that was the infamous lightbulb moment.
by Eric Strait
See full article at Killer Startups