McDonald's files 10 trademarks for metaverse

McDonald's has registered 10 trademarks in the virtual space, doubling down on its strategy to venture into the metaverse. According to the application filed with the US Patent and Trademark Office, McDonald's will be providing downloadable multimedia files for its artwork audio, video files, and NFTs.

The company's plans to venture into the metaverse were first made known on 9 February, after trademark lawyer, Josh Gerben tweeted images of McDonald's trademark applications. The McDonald's filing on 4 February indicated it plans to "operate a virtual restaurant featuring actual and virtual goods". It also included plans of "operating a virtual restaurant online, featuring home delivery". MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out to McDonald's for additional information regarding its move into the metaverse. 

https://twitter.com/JoshGerben/status/1491449758967562240

In fact, this is not McDonald's first foray into the metaverse. Earlier this month, McDonald's US partnered with fashion designer Humberto Leon to celebrate the Lunar New Year in the metaverse. Titled “McDonald’s Hall of Zodiacs: 2022 Lunar New Year by Humberto Leon", the virtual gallery featured zodiac animals designed by Leon, who is also co-founder of fashion brand Opening Ceremony. According to McDonald's, Leon’s creative vision was largely shaped by his cross-cultural identity, as a Chinese-Peruvian American, and passion to serve and celebrate his diverse background. Leon said that partnering with McDonald's meant a great deal to him, because it is a brand that has always been committed to embracing and celebrating the universality of all cultures, helping him see himself in the brand and in the world. 

In light of the McRib burger's 40th anniversary, McDonald's also launched a set of exclusive NFT collection. Creating a limited number of McRib NFTs, 10 fans were given the opportunity to receive the NFTs by following the restaurant chain's Twitter account and retweeting the Sweepstakes Invitation. In fact, this was not McDonald's first take in the NFT scene. On 8 October 2021, it made its debut in this space with its NFTs titled "Big Mac Rubik's Cube" in China. McDonald's China said the launch of the NFTs was in celebration of the chain's 31st anniversary in the market, as well as the opening of its new headquarters in Shanghai. According to the brand, 118 NFTs were designed based on the shape of the new headquarters and the brand's spirit. The NFTs were then given away to employees and customers. 

Photo courtesy: 123RF 

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