TikTok is expected to return to India as TickTock following the success of PUBG and Shein
The hugely popular short-video app TikTok, which was banned in India a year ago, could re-enter the country as TickTock, according to a new trademark application filed by ByteDance on Tuesday.
TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, filed a trademark for TickTock with the Controller General of Patents, Designs, and TradeMarks earlier this month, according to Twitter tipster Mukul Sharma. According to the post, the trademark application was filed on July 6, and the service description is “hosting multimedia entertainment content, hosting of multimedia and interactive applications.”
The news comes nearly a week after a ByteDance source told a news portal that the company is eager to resume operations due to the Modi government’s new IT rules and the Biden administration’s “decision to review the security of Chinese apps, rather than outright banning them.”
The short video app was among the first 59 Chinese apps banned in India by the union government due to national security concerns.
The first 59 apps, which included popular platforms such as Shein, Shareit, ES File Explorer, and others, were blocked under Section 69 of the IT Act and IT Rules 2008, which states that “in view of information available, they are engaged in activities which are [sic] prejudicial to the sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of state, and public order.” Notably, months after TikTok was banned in India, the government blocked the immensely popular mobile game PUBG Mobile, which has recently resurfaced as Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI).
Following the ban of TikTok in India, many tech companies, including Instagram, YouTube, and Snapchat, launched their own short video platforms called Reels, Shorts, and Spotlight.
Earlier this month, South Korean developer Krafton released BattleGrounds Mobile India, a rebranded India-specific version of PUBG Mobile, which was also banned as part of China’s app ban last year.
