From virtual restaurants to virtual fashion shows, industry giants set off a wave of Metaverse trademark registration

Since Facebook changed its name to Meta, the discussion about metaverse has become more and more intense, and this term has appeared more and more in our field of vision. This is a very interesting topic. Along with the debate, some believe that Mark Zuckerberg created it, some associate it with Ready Player One, and some believe it is a hoax. However you interpret it, one thing is for sure - we are in the very early stages of the development of the Metaverse.

The emergence of the new crown epidemic has changed the way of normal life, work, study and entertainment of human beings, and accelerated the digital transformation of the whole society. The Internet is generating a new economic development model. American technology giants represented by Meta (Facebook), Google, Microsoft, and Amazon have already set foot in the metaverse industry. From brand transformation, huge investment in research and development to acquisitions, the competition among these giants is no less intense than popular games. .

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The "metaverse dream" of big companies

• McDonald's

Earlier this month, fast-food giant McDonald's filed more than a dozen trademark applications for "online retail services featuring virtual goods" with the US Patent and Trademark Office. It applied to trademark "McCafe" for "entertainment services, namely the provision of online services and virtual events such as virtual concerts". A trademark has also been filed for "McCafe" for virtual food and beverages, containing artwork, text, audio and video files, and downloadable multimedia files in the form of NFTs.

McDonald's plans for the metaverse are grand. On February 11, the company filed a new trademark application for "McDelivery," which will use the "McDelivery" trademark to offer "a virtual restaurant featuring home delivery."

• Walmart

Retail giant Walmart has filed nearly 30 NFT-related trademark applications in the US, Mexico and Canada since December.

Of these, seven separate applications were filed with the USPTO, indicating intent to manufacture and sell virtual goods, including electronics, home decor, toys, sporting goods, and personal care products. In a separate document, Walmart said it will offer virtual currency as well as NFTs to users.

• Panera Bread

American bakery chain Panera Bread, which was born in 1987, filed a trademark application for "PanerAverse" earlier this month, indicating that the company will provide "virtual restaurants and cafes" in the metaverse under the PANERAVERSE brand.

• L'ORÉA

L'Oréal this month has applied for trademarks for 17 of its makeup, hair, skin and nail care brands, including Kiehl's, NYX, Urban Decay, Redken, Essie, Pureology, Matrix and It Cosmetics.

These applications include “digital media, namely collectibles, artwork, tokens and non-fungible tokens (NFTs); NFTs have collectible digital items, images, photographs, artwork, videos or media” and “services for the sale of virtual cosmetics”.

• Victoria's Secret

Fashion shows are now also in the metaverse. Women's lingerie and apparel company Victoria's Secret applied for a trademark for its current name on Feb. 8 in relation to "downloadable virtual goods" and "creation and exchange of digital collectibles using blockchain-based consensus protocols and smart contracts." Those are NFTs.

It may also be developing Metaverse Stages and Stores, as the company also mentions "virtual fashion shows" and "retail store services featuring virtual merchandise."

• Nike

Clothing giant Nike has filed a total of seven different trademark applications since October last year, involving NFT, "virtual goods" in the virtual world, and more.

This isn't Nike's first foray into the metaverse, though. In May 2019, its brand Air Jordan teamed up with Fortnite to develop virtual sneakers that allow game characters to wear Nike-branded shoes. Since 2019, Nike has also shared rent with Roblox, the first stock in the metaverse, many times.

• Skechers

Sneaker brand Skechers filed eight trademark applications with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office last month related to the sale of virtual goods.

"Downloadable virtual goods, which are computer programs featuring footwear, apparel, headwear, eyewear, bags, gym bags, backpacks, sports equipment, artwork, toys, and accessories, are available online and in online virtual worlds for Downloadable computer software for interactive games, available through worldwide computer networks and various wireless networks and electronic devices; downloadable software for participating in social networks and interacting with online communities."

In addition, well-known sportswear brands such as New Balance, PUMA, Under Armor, and Shaq have also applied for such trademarks.

• Scotts、Miracle-Gro、Ortho

Lawn care brands Scotts, Miracle-Gro and Ortho each filed trademark applications last month for offering "virtual" lawn seeds, fertilizers and pesticides. Worried about tending your lawn in the virtual world? You might soon be able to buy "virtual" lawn care products.

• Kobe

Kobe, Inc., led by Gianna, widow of late Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant, and her mother, has filed trademark applications for KOBE BRYANT, MAMBA FOREVER and MAMBACITA. Among them, the purposes of the two trademarks "KOBE BRYANT, MAMBA FOREVER" are:

- "Virtual and digitally interactive imagery of Kobe Bryant for use in virtual experiences and virtual worlds"

- "Virtual and digital goods (i.e. artwork, avatars, emojis, beverages, clothing, headwear, footwear, eyewear, headphones, jewelry, watches, books, comics, bags, games, household items, phones, photographs, posters, sports equipment, sporting goods, toys, trading cards) ... for online and virtual worlds”

- "Multimedia files, audio recordings, video recordings and image files containing Kobe Bryant-related content, artwork, text, audio and video...stored in a digital wallet and authenticated via NFT"

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What is the meaning of enterprise registration Metaverse trademark?

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The metaverse can influence marketing

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The metaverse will affect brands

As the Metaverse grows and matures, brand exposure will increase. Examples include:

• Virtual Retail Store (Signage and Display)

• Virtual Pop-Ups (Participate in Special Events)

• Virtual training/classes (branded content and sponsorship)

• Virtual Events (Concerts and Performances)

• Digital assets (NFTs and virtual clothing for user avatars)

• Product placement (virtual billboard).

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prevent infringement

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What is the metaverse?

After observing many discussions, I observed a particularly interesting phenomenon. Novels and movies like Runaway Gamer, Ready Player One, The Matrix, and Avalanche are all major cultural sources for users to build a shared understanding of the Metaverse. These cultural products are not only used as references, but also as models for a world that has begun to be constructed, imagined and experienced through games, novels and films.

The term Metaverse itself was first introduced by author Neil Stephenson in his 1992 novel Snow Crash. In this moment, the author offers an image of the Metaverse imagined in a utopian or dystopian fashion.

In simple terms, Metaverse is a 3D virtual world where users can play games, build buildings, go shopping, earn money or order products. The Metaverse will be run in a decentralized manner by many different actors, not owned by a single corporation. For the user's senses, once the virtual reality (VR) technology is improved, the user will experience a near-real world, comparable to the safety and comfort of their own home. In addition, when the metaverse develops to a certain stage, logically speaking, almost all commercial activities in the real world will be connected to this virtual world, because there are the most online people here, so in the end, you, as a freelancer, will also take the initiative to Connect to the metaverse.

The top British football club Manchester City is teaming up with Sony to create the world's first virtual football stadium. Experts use the team's home stadium, the Etihad Stadium, as a prototype to draw a digital map and "translate" the football stadium into the virtual world to make it Become the central hub of the Manchester City team in the virtual world. For those fans who may never be able to go to the stadium to watch the game, no matter where they are, they will be able to watch live games from the comfort of their homes. Different from the flat image of the TV broadcasting the game, fans can watch the game from any angle in the virtual football stadium.

A brief review of "Ready Player One" directed by Steven Spielberg a few years ago. At the end of the movie, although the protagonist gained control of the "Oasis" (the Metaverse in the movie), he did not own it alone. , but chose to manage the "Oasis" through democratic governance, which is contrary to the centralized norms we are familiar with now. After all, if the official can ban players at any time, or can destroy the server to make a virtual world disappear immediately, then it may not be a real metaverse.

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Blockchain provides decentralized support for the Metaverse

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney has stated that the blockchain is an indisputably neutral, decentralized way of expressing individual ownership ... the most logical path to an eventual long-term open framework in which every Individuals can control their own existence and are not restricted by monopolies.

The hot spot in the blockchain field is Ethereum, which introduces smart contracts into the blockchain by adding the programming language Solidity. Developers can build applications on the basis of the existing blockchain network and issue their own cryptocurrency. Decentralized, permissionless, trustless, and immutable blockchains can help developers and users invest their time and costs.

In the real world, technology giants often easily obtain a large amount of our personal data by providing us with free services, and we don't know how these data will be used. Since the metaverse will involve the need for digital assets, if our data is stolen by hackers for authentication, hackers are very likely to steal our digital assets.

The anti-tampering and traceability of the blockchain have the characteristics of "anti-copying" identity. The identity authentication system with the blockchain as the core can not only judge the identity of the user, but also ensure that the identity will not be copied and stolen. These data are decentralized through blockchain technology, which can realize that our data is owned by us personally, and no one can tamper with it, nor can it be disposed of at will. Coupled with the privacy and encryption technology of the blockchain, if an application wants to use our personal data and has been authorized by us, it can only verify that we are a qualified participant and will not know who I am .

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NFTs Provide the Backbone for the Metaverse Economic System

For the metaverse, credible asset value is a very important component. Because there is no centralized agency management in the Metaverse, everyone is their own master. In this case, the metaverse will gradually develop from a brand-new, independent economic system, which requires the realization of asset value certification under the premise of decentralization. The NFT based on the blockchain provides reasonable and efficient empowerment for the assets in the Metaverse.

The full name of NFT is Non-Fungible Token, that is, non-homogeneous pass/irreplaceable pass. In contrast, Bitcoin and ERC-20 cryptocurrencies, which are familiar to everyone in the blockchain, are all homogeneous tokens, namely FT (Fungible Token), which can replace each other or be split. For example: there is no difference between a bitcoin held by Satoshi Nakamoto and a bitcoin held by me.

On the other hand, NFT is unique, non-replicable, non-splittable, and non-substitutable. It is mainly used in games, artworks, collectibles, virtual assets, identity features, digital music, digital certificates and other fields. Based on blockchain technology, they can trade freely without an intermediary and have a unique identity.

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Metaverse is just the surface, Web3 is the core

Understood at these levels, the Metaverse would ideally be the pinnacle of the Web3 experience. A permissionless, decentralized, trustless on-chain virtual world where people can socialize, play and conduct business.

Grayscale Investments, a subsidiary of Digital Currency Group, once believed in the metaverse report that the metaverse is the most potential subdivision track for Web3.

Most of us have primarily experienced the web in its current form, often referred to as Web2, which we can think of as an interactive or social network. In the Web2 world, you don't have to be a developer to participate in the creation process. Many apps are built in such a way that anyone can easily become a creator. If you have an idea and share it with the world, you can voice your opinion on social platforms. If you want to upload a video and have thousands of people see it, you can do it easily through video platforms.

There are some fundamental differences between Web2 and Web3, but decentralization is at its core. Web3 enhances the internet as we know it today and adds a few other features:

- verifiable

- trustless

-autonomy

- license-free

- Decentralized

-distributed

- Built-in native payment

In Web3, developers typically don't build applications with data stored in a single database on a single server. Instead, Web3 applications run either on a blockchain, a distributed network of many peer-to-peer nodes (servers), or a combination of the two forming a cryptoeconomic protocol. These applications are often referred to as Dapps (Decentralized Applications). In order to achieve a stable and secure Dapp, developers are incentivized and compete to provide users with the best quality service.

In terms of the characteristics of Web 3.0 described above, Web 3.0 actually conforms to people's current basic illusions about the Metaverse. Compared with the virtual world built by radical technology giants, the more realistic and concrete Web3 seems to be more worthy of our attention.

According to the "Notice on Further Preventing and Dealing with the Risk of Hype in Virtual Currency Transactions" issued by the central bank and other departments, the content of this article is only for information sharing, and does not promote or endorse any operation and investment behavior. Participate in any illegal financial practice.

risk warning:

According to the "Notice on Further Preventing and Dealing with the Risk of Hype in Virtual Currency Transactions" issued by the central bank and other departments, the content of this article is only for information sharing, and does not promote or endorse any operation and investment behavior. Participate in any illegal financial practice.