Following overwhelming backlash, the Fine Bros. say that they will drop their ‘React’ trademark plans, along with their React World initiative and their Content ID claims.
Earlier this week, YouTube content creators theFine Brothers made headlines after announcing their plans to trademark phrases such as ‘React’, ‘Teens React’ and ‘Elders React’, regarding their massively popular series of reaction videos. They also planned to launch ‘React World’, an initiative that would allow other YouTubers to use the reaction format and also be supported by graphics and music.
Following the duo’s reveal, huge backlash ensued asYouTubeusers and other content creators questioned how the Fine Bros. could possibly trademark the format when so many others have made similar videos (including The Ellen DeGeneres Show). Moreover, people were concerned that suddenly many non-Fine Bros. reaction videos would be stripped from the web.
The brothers say “we realize we built a system that could easily be used for wrong”, and they also recognise that the concern that “trademarks like these could be used to theoretically give companies (including ours) the power to police and control online video” is a “valid concern. Given the creators' previous actions (including video takedowns and criticizing Ellen DeGeneres' take on reaction content), they say that it “makes perfect sense for people to distrust our motives here” and though they maintain that their intentions were “pure”, they also note that there is no way of proving that.
Others, though, feel that the community will see more of these types of trademarks cropping up in future. Recently,Sony was criticized for its attempts to trademark Let’s Playand though that trademark looks destined to fail, YouTube can offer huge monetary gains so it looks likely that more will attempt to capitalize in the coming years and months.
