Google has filed an application for 'Clockwork,' and it looks a lot like a job listing service
- Google has filed trademark applications in Tonga and in the UK for a new service called "Clockwork," according to blogger and lawyer the Trademark Ninja.
- The filings indicate that Clockwork may be a mobile app or site for people to find and post jobs, as well as software for companies to manage employees' time.
- The filings don't guarantee that Google is working on any new product, but the firm does already offer some HR services through Google Hire, part of the company's G Suite cloud enterprise services, as well as the Google for Jobs service.
- Click here for more BI Prime stories.
Google may be building out a more sophisticated jobs board and HR offering, according to trademark filings spotted by blogger and lawyer Trademark Ninja.
Trademark Ninja, real name Brian Conroy, spotted that Google had filed to trademark the name "Clockwork" in Tonga and the UK in 2018.
The filings, which have been challenged by an unnamed opponent, give more details about what Clockwork could be.
A list of features suggests Clockwork is for "posting, distributing, and viewing employment opportunities," as well as posting CVs, subscribing to job alerts, searching and applying directly for jobs.
Clockwork might also comprise cloud workforce management and staff scheduling software, according to the description.
You can see the full set of descriptions here:
Google has already started building out a suite of products related to HR, hiring, and employment.
The company rolled out its HR offering, Google Hire, in 2017. Google Hire is part of Google's cloud enterprise offering, G Suite, and allows small and medium-sized businesses to manage the process of recruiting new employees.
Read more: 2 gaming veterans raised $1 million from Amazon and Google to make games you can only play by voice
There's also Google for Jobs, a kind of aggregator of job aggregators. This pulls in existing job listings from third-party sites such as Monster, LinkedIn, and Guardian Jobs.
Google doesn't currently run a jobs board itself and, should this change, it may cause immediate concerns about anti-competitive behavior. It's possible that a Clockwork jobs board may be a tool for firms to manage internal listings, rather than an aggregator.
A trademark filing can indicate a new product or feature, but it's not a guarantee. Previous recent filings with the UK's Intellectual Property Office all relate to existing products, such as Google's Intra security app, and the Stadia game streaming service.
Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment.