YouTube’s Fine Bros. face legal challenge after enraging Internet with ‘React’ trademark

Trademark law is complex, but the Internet isn’t known for waiting for understanding before letting the rage fly.

YouTube creators, Twitch streamers, and — seemingly — the rest of the Internet are all incensed that the Fine Bros., a pair of sibling stars that own and operate the React Channel on Google’s video service, trademarked the word “React.” This is in relation to the videos the Fines do where they point a camera at someone and have them react to something else. For example, the company’s second most popular video ever shows a bunch of teens jumping at the silly scares in the low-fi horror game Five Nights at Freddy’s. But many people are upset with the Fines because they claim that “React” is a genre and not a format that the brothers own. This has led to people making reaction videos about the trademark, a social-media campaign to #UnsubTheFineBros, and an attorney promising to fight against the United States Patent and Trademark Office’s ruling. In the wake of this, the React Channel has lost thousands of subscribers.