Amazon Vs. Google: Bezos Could Launch YouTube Rival, Trademark Filings Suggest

Amazon is still in the midst of a feud with Google and it looks like the company is considering to launch its very own YouTube rival. It’s been discovered recently that Amazon has filed two trademarks requests with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for something that’s called “Amazontube” and another one called “Opentube.”

The trademark request submitted by Amazon was first spotted by TV Answer Man. The trademarks requests described Amazontube or Opentube as providers of “non-downloadable pre-recorded audio, visual and audiovisual works via wireless networks.” The service is also described as providing “network services that enable users to share content, photos, videos, text, data, images and other electronic works relating to entertainment…” The description went on to list down different genres for various video content.

In a separate coverage by Inverse, the site was able to share a snippet of the description in the Amazontube filing. Again, it describes the service as being a copy of YouTube, but adding that it will also have “user generated content sharing software.” This sounds very much like a video streaming service that lets users upload their own original video content, which is exactly what YouTube is already doing.

The discovery of these trademark filings doesn’t really guarantee that Amazon will launch a YouTube rival. However, it does look like Amazon is seriously considering it. DomainNameWire reported earlier this month that Amazon has been registering a lot of domain names, including AlexaOpenTube.com, AmazonAlexaTube.com and AmazonOpenTube.com.

Amazon and Google have been feuding for some time now and it first started back in September when the latter pulled YouTube support from the Amazon Echo Show. Amazon brought back YouTube to the Echo Show through a workaround, but Google pulled that down, too. Google also announced it will be removing YouTube from Amazon’s Fire TV devices on Jan. 1, 2018.

Last week, a Google spokesperson told The Verge that the two companies were engaged in “productive discussions” to reach “an agreement for the benefit of our mutual customers.” The statement arrived the same day Amazon brought back the Google Chromecast and the Apple TV to its online store. It seems as though the two companies are willing to talk things through before YouTube is completely removed from Amazon’s devices.

With Amazon and Google seemingly willing to patch things up, it seems unlikely that Amazon will still move forward with launching a YouTube rival at this point.