Trademark applications filings for cryptocurrencies, nonfungible tokens (NFTs), Web3, and the Metaverse are reportedly more than there were in 2021. With 2022 having 1,078 for NFTs, 604 for cryptocurrencies, and 759 for the Metaverse.
The United States Patent and Trademark Office received more than 3,600 trademark applications for cryptocurrencies and services linked to cryptocurrencies as of August 31 than it did in all of 2021, according to statistics compiled by intellectual property lawyer Mike Kondoudis on Tuesday.
In addition, Kondoudis noted that while the number of trademark applications pertaining to the Metaverse or Web3 had more than doubled from 1,866 in 2021 to 4,150 as of August 2022, the number of NFT applications had increased even further, rising to more than 5,800 in 2022 from 2,087 in 2021.
The most applications were apparently filed in March (1,078 for NFTs, 604 for crypto, and 759 for the Metaverse), while the least number of applications were typically filed in July and August. Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, disclosed in March that the business was getting ready to introduce NFTs on Instagram.
In response to the company suing MetaBirkins founder Mason Rothschild for allegedly making money off the sale of NFTs bearing the company’s Birkin brand name, on September 1 that luxury brand Hermès had applied for a trademark in the U.S. for use of its name in the Metaverse, NFTs, and virtual currency.
Major companies both inside and outside the cryptocurrency industry, such as Meta, Formula One, Mastercard, McDonald’s, Gatorade, and the U.S. Space Force, have also submitted files with the USPTO in 2022 that hint at virtual products or connections with blockchain and cryptocurrency.
