The US Air Force has applied for a trademark for the metaverse. Dubbed SpaceVerse, it is defined as “a secure digital metaverse that converges terrestrial and space physical and digital realities.”
The Department of the Air Force trademarked the term “SpaceVerse,” which is defined as “a secure digital metaverse that converges terrestrial and space physical and digital realities and provides synthetic and simulated extended-reality (XR) training, testing, and operations environments,” according to a Thursday application filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
It’s unclear whether the program is linked to the US Space Force, which is “structured under” the Air Force but works as an “independent and distinct component of the armed services,” according to its website.
Following many trademark applications from a range of companies, including credit card providers Mastercard and American Express, footwear, and apparel company Nike, and the New York Stock Exchange, the trademark application related to metaverse activities was filed.
Trademarks on the use of logos and branding in a virtual environment, as well as authenticating particular files with nonfungible tokens, or NFTs, were among the applications.
Following Facebook’s announcement in October 2021 that the social media company would rename Meta, some major brands have built virtual storefronts or other venues for consumers.
JPMorgan Chase & Co. entered the metaverse in February by opening a virtual lounge in Decentraland, a blockchain-based online realm. Samsung has also opened a virtual store that is modeled after a physical store in New York City.
The Marines, Coast Guard, Army, Navy, Air Force, and Space Force are among the six divisions of the US military that have already launched substantial programs aiming at utilizing blockchain technology or otherwise adopting digital assets.
In June 2021, Space Force announced that NFT versions of patches and coins created for the launch of one of its vehicles would be available. The US Navy has also signed a $1.5 million deal with Consensus Networks to create HealthNet, a blockchain-based logistics system.
