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Popular app Reddit is Fun rebrands as ‘rif is fun for reddit’ in licensing dispute

Damien Wilde | Jan 8 2020 - 5:32 am PT

One of the oldest and most popular third-party Reddit clients Reddit is Fun has had to rebrand as “rif is fun for Reddit” due to trademark licensing changes.

With over 5 million installs and over 400,000 ratings on the Google Play Store, the app has been a stalwart on many Android phones of my own over the past decade. The developers TalkLittle made the announcement almost poetically on the dedicated subreddit, stating “trademark licensing issues” as the reason for the convoluted name change (via Android Police).

“reddit is fun” is now “rif is fun for Reddit” due to trademark licensing changes.

In text you can still call it “RIF,” or “rif is fun,” or “rif.”

Verbally you can say “R-I-F” or “riff” or “riff is fun,” or for the adventurous “riff-iff” (rif i.f.).

I should mention I’m grateful to the “old” Reddit Inc. and its former employees for being willing to let me use the “reddit is fun” name for the past decade, working with me on mutually beneficial agreements like revenue share, in exchange for licensing the Reddit trademark. Not sure if you would be reading this, but thank you.

Thank you all, RIF-using Redditors, for your continued support for so many years, and going forward.

From today, you may see the app change name on your homescreen, but no functionality has been affected by this relatively minor alteration. As the folks over at Android Police also point out, it’s an abbreviation of “reddit is fun,” meaning that this new name is the absolutely ridiculous: “reddit is fun is fun for reddit.”

Given that the content aggregation site has gone through its own metamorphosis over the past few years, which has also seen an official app hit the Play Store, the third-party app still remains one of the best ways to retain that traditional look and feel — but on your mobile.