In an intriguing development, Lemon Inc., a subsidiary of ByteDance, has recently filed a trademark application named “8TH NOTE PRESS” with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), signaling ByteDance’s potential entry into the captivating realm of e-publishing. The trademark application which was first reported by Business Insider hints at the company’s captivating aspirations in the world of digital book publishing, adding a distinctive touch to their ventures.
According to what is known from the trademark filing, there is going to be a diverse range of offerings being planned. These encompass an immersive reading app, book retail services, an extensive selection of audio and physical books, e-book publishing, and the opportunity for users to engage in vibrant discussions within an online community centered around e-books. The app goes beyond mere digital content, offering retail bookstore services, and enabling users to order books in various formats, including audio, printed, and digital. Additionally, the proposed app will oversee the publication of e-books, audiobooks, and physical books, as well as provide access to online non-downloadable fiction and non-fiction books, delivering an all-encompassing literary experience.
In a potentially strategic move, the envisioned app under the “8TH NOTE PRESS” trademark may incorporate a dedicated space for book discussions, potentially leveraging the thriving realm of ‘BookTok,’ as highlighted by TechCrunch. However, it’s important to note that the trademark filing by ByteDance’s Lemon Inc. does not guarantee the app’s development or reveal any specific timeline for its creation, leaving room for future possibilities.
If ByteDance ventures into the e-publishing industry, it will face formidable competition from Amazon, which holds a significant share of the US digital-reading market which is estimated to be around 50 percent. What could set ByteDance apart in the US is its potential focus on fostering social connections among readers. Unlike Amazon, which lacks a social component in its book-buying model beyond the reviews section, ByteDance’s app could offer a unique digital book club experience. However, ByteDance may also encounter the challenge of overcoming the prevailing skepticism and distrust that the American public currently harbors toward Chinese-owned technology companies.
Having already made notable strides in the digital-reading market, ByteDance’s ventures include substantial investments in the Chinese e-publishing industry, such as its significant financial backing of Zhangyue and the acquisition of an approximately 11 percent stake in Yuewen, a publicly traded Chinese e-book reader. Additionally, ByteDance operates Tomato Novel, a highly popular web novel app in China, which offers free reading with ads or a subscription-based ad-free experience. In 2021, the company expanded its reach by introducing Mytopia, an English web fiction app catering to romance, horror, and fantasy genres. Similar to its incentivization of TikTok creators, ByteDance enticed novel writers on Mytopia by providing rewards to foster engagement.
In addition to Lemon8, a thriving lifestyle app, ByteDance has established a prominent presence in the video game industry through its successful gaming company Nuverse. Furthermore, ByteDance also owns CapCut, a widely-used video-editing application.
With a keen interest in tech, I make it a point to keep myself updated on the latest developments in technology and gadgets. That includes smartphones or tablet devices but stretches to even AI and self-driven automobiles, the latter being my latest fad. Besides writing, I like watching videos, reading, listening to music, or experimenting with different recipes. The motion picture is another aspect that interests me a lot, and I'll likely make a film sometime in the future.
