Mastercard has filed 15 trademark applications covering a wide range of services relating to the metaverse and non-fungible tokens (NFTs). “We are continually looking for opportunities to deliver new and unique experiences to our customers and cardholders,” Mastercard said.
Mastercard NFTs, Metaverse trademark applications
Payments giant Mastercard filed 15 trademark applications with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) last week covering a wide range of products and services related to non-fungible tokens and the metaverse.
A USPTO-licensed trademark attorney, Mike Kondoudis, noted that the trademark applications are for Mastercard, Priceless, and Mastercard’s circles logo. Priceless is a Mastercard campaign that provides cardholders with everyday discounts.
The trademark applications indicate Mastercard’s plans for a wide range of NFT projects, such as NFT-authenticated downloadable music files and marketplaces for NFT-backed digital products and media.
They also cover many activities in the metaverse including e-commerce software to allow users to perform electric business transactions, payment processing services, credit card processing, and providing financial information.
The serial numbers of the 15 trademark applications are 97346112, 97346101, 97346064, 97346064, 97346041, 97346029, 97346029, 97346029, 97346023, 97346019, 97346019, 97346019, 97346019, 97346019, 97346019, 97346019, 97346019, 97346019, 97346019, 97346003, 97346003 and 97346993.
A Mastercard spokesperson told the Insider: “We are continually looking for opportunities to deliver new and unique experiences to our customers and cardholders.” The spokesperson added:
This filing is simply part of that effort, ensuring that trademark protection for our brand continues through to any potential use in the metaverse without interruption.
A growing number of large corporations have made a similar move, including Meta (formerly Facebook), Mcdonald’s, Burger King, Panera Bread, and Panda Express.
Last month, Citi predicted the Metaverse could be a $13 trillion opportunity with five billion users by 2030. Global investment bank Goldman Sachs estimates the Metaverse to be an $8 trillion opportunity. . Recently, megabanks JPMorgan and HSBC have established a presence in the metaverse.
