TikTok may return to India as 'TickTock', a trademark application by ByteDance suggests

After PUBG Mobile returned to India this year as Battlegrounds Mobile India, reports indicate that ByteDance's popular short-video app TikTok, may soon return to the country and it will be renamed as 'TickTock'.This information was revealed in a trademark application filed by ByteDance with the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks. This trademark was filed on 6 July and was first spotted by tipster Mukul Sharma on Twitter.We have also reached out to ByteDance to confirm the same. We are awaiting the response.Last month, a report by The Print claimed that ByteDance has been "keen to resume operations" in the country. The company was reportedly in talks to get the ban on TikTok lifted and it reportedly also assured officials that it would work comply with the IT Rules 2021.In 2019, ByteDance had appointed its chief nodal and grievance officer in India, which is a critical requirement for any intermediary platform in India as per the new IT rules.Lately, a lot of apps that were banned in 2020 for being "prejudicial to the sovereignty, integrity, and security of the country", are now trying to circumvent the ban and make their way back to the Indian market. Krafton launched PUBG Mobile in India as Battlegrounds Mobile India just last month, with the app being tweaked and dedicated to gamers in India.Shopping app Shein, which was also part of the 59 Chinese apps India blocked in June 2020, is trying to make a comeback via Amazon India.