Categories
News

CamperForce: Amazon getting ready to launch resource, job site for workampers

Amazon Camper Force

Back in late September, I wrote about Amazon’s Legal Department registering the domain name AmazonCamperforce.com, but really had no idea as to plans for the name.  

After a bit more digging, I found more information, including a trademark application (Serial Number: 85471619) for the word ‘Camperforce’ filed this week by Amazon.

It appears Amazon is getting ready to launch a website for its workampers – people who travel and live in an RV, then get jobs working in the area where they are visiting.

According to a recent ABC News article, Amazon hires temporary seasonal employees for their warehouses, including workampers, and is by far the biggest workamper employer.  A post on Live. Work. Dream. says the company even has “Camper Force Coordinators”, gives completion bonuses, covers campground costs, and even gives its workampers a 10 percent discount on Amazon purchases.

The goods and services in the company’s latest trademark filing cover “employment recruiting, hiring and placement services; providing online employment recruiting services; providing a searchable database featuring employment opportunities; providing a website where users can obtain information about employment opportunities” and “providing information about temporary housing accommodations.”

At the time of this story going online around 5am EST, Amazon has not made any announcements on its Press Releases site nor does the domain resolve to a web page.  So, a resource web site featuring camping information and available jobs is still just speculation.

But I have a feeling with the holidays coming up, the domain name registered, and the new trademark filing this week, workampers can expect to see something online very soon.

Categories
News Trademarks Video Games

Electronic Arts files new trademark applications for ‘Blacked Out’ game

Blacked Out trademark application

Battlefield 3 publisher Electronic Arts has filed two new trademark applications with the United States Patent and Trademark Office for the phrase Blacked Out.

The phrase Blacked Out, which commonly refers to temporarily losing consciousness, has several meanings so it’s hard to know exactly what kind of game EA has in store.

Both trademark filings were submitted on November 14, 2011.

Serial Number 85471685 covers, “Computer game software; Downloadable computer game software via a global computer network and wireless devices.”

Serial Number 85471683 covers, “Entertainment services, namely, providing an on-line computer game; Provision of information relating to electronic computer games provided via the Internet.”

Categories
News

T-Mobile registers 4G Turbo domains

TMobile4GTurbo.com WHOIS record

On November 17, T-Mobile registered a slew of ‘4G Turbo’ domain names through the interent brand protection company MarkMonitor.

The domains ranged from .com to .biz and included domains like 4gturbo.org and Tmobile4GTurbo.com.

As is often the practice by large companies that use MarkMonitor, the names were registered to DNstination Inc., the WHOIS privacy service provided by MarkMonitor.  Given MarkMonitor’s purpose to provide brand protection services to more than half the Fortune 100 companies, it’s safe to say these names belong to T-Mobile.

Here’s a look at several of the names that were registered.

4gturbo.biz
4gturbo.org
4gturbo.us
t-mobile4gturbo.com
t-mobile4gturbo.net
t-mobile4gturbo.biz
t-mobile4gturbo.org
t-mobile4gturbo.us
tmobile4gturbo.com
tmobile4gturbo.net
tmobile4gturbo.biz
tmobile4gturbo.org
tmobile4gturbo.us

T-Mobile launched their 4G Mobile HotSpot device last April and also recently introduced the T-Mobile Sonic 4G Mobile HotSpot. 

It’s unknown whether the T-Mobile 4G Turbo will be a new hotspot device or a separate add-on for its existing devices.

Categories
News Video Games

Ubisoft registers MotionSports Adrenaline Urban Jungle domain names

Motion Sports Adrenaline: Urban Jungle

Ubisoft released ‘Motion Sports Adrenaline’ in late October on the Kinect for the Xbox 360.  The video game lets players participate in extreme events like wingsuit, rock climing and other dangerous activities.

Now it looks like Ubisoft might have downloadable content planned for MotionSports Adrenaline that could be available soon based on two recent domain registrations made by the company.

On November 17, Ubisoft registered the domains motionsportsadrenalineurbanjungle.com and motionsports-adrenaline-urban-jungle.com.

At the time of this story going online, neither of the domain names resolve to a web page. 

Based on the title alone, one would guess that it could involve activities like stunt biking or street rollerblading.

Categories
News

Bingcubator.com: Is Microsoft creating a new incubator for ideas on search?

bingcubator

Microsoft is always trying to gain more of the search market share, and with competitors like Google and Yahoo!, it may be turning to a broader audience to find new technologies to incorporate into its own search engine.

So is Microsoft planning to launch an incubator focused on Bing like it has done with its DevLabs?

It appears Microsoft has tried to quietly register the domain names Bingcubator.com and Bingcubator.net through the internet brand protection company MarkMonitor.

Although the actual owner’s name is hidden, both domain names were registered on November 15th to DNstination Inc., the WHOIS privacy service provided by MarkMonitor.  But you can guarantee the names are owned by Microsoft, as Microsoft is a client of MarkMonitor and its own Bing.com is registered with the company. 

While it’s speculation, an incubator that connects Microsoft with developers who want to see their ideas integrated with the search engine, seems like a very good possibility.

In mid October, Microsoft launched Bing Booster, aimed at helping startups.  Now it looks like the program could be expanding with Bingcubator.

It’s also possible that Bingcubator could be an entirely separate program, that sends a clear message to its competition that it wants any and all developers (not just startups) to help the company innovate its search engine technology.

At the time of this story, neither Bingcubator.com nor Bingcubator.net resolve to a web page.