Japanese car brand Nissan has become the latest automaker to step up its Web3 efforts filing four new Web3-related trademarks in the US while its Japanese subsidiary is experimenting with car sales in the metaverse.
The new application covers its Infiniti, Nismo and Nissan brands, according to a trademark application Nissan filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on March 7. Documents filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office show that Nissan plans to create virtual clothing, cars, headgear, trading cards, toys, tickets and a non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace for trading and minting NFTs.
The company also outlined plans for a Metaverse advertising service and other "entertainment services" covering online video, images, artwork, tickets, audio, sound, music and trading cards, as well as a website with information about Nissan's proposed NFT and information on how it works.
According to the document, there is also the intention for "non-downloadable computer software to be used as a digital wallet." Last week, on March 8, Nissan Japan announced that it would conduct a three-month "demonstration experiment" in its virtual store "Nissan Hype Lab" to "learn, consult, test drive and purchase Nissan vehicles" in the Metaverse.
"At the same time, we will study the possibility of new ways of selling cars," it wrote in a statement. The trial, which runs from March 8 to June 30, will allow customers to access the virtual storefront "24 hours a day" from a PC or smartphone. Customers can create their own custom avatars and even interact with a virtual salesperson at certain times. According to the announcement, customers can order a car and finalize a purchase contract through this virtual sales office. Nissan also filed five trademark applications in October 2022 for some of its better-known models, including the Skyline, Z and GTR.
At the time, trademark attorney Mike Kondoudis said the car brand’s filing signaled plans for NFT-backed media, an online NFT marketplace, digital wallets, NFT minting, trading and storage software. Automotive giant General Motors has also been very active in filing NFT-related applications, with its latest trademark filing covering its Chevrolet and Cadillac brands on Feb. 16.
US automaker Ford Motor Company is preparing to enter the NFT and virtual world in September 2022, and has filed 19 trademark applications across its major car brands.
Despite the ongoing crypto winter and bear market, multinational corporations are advancing trademark applications covering Web3, crypto, NFTs, and the metaverse.
According to Kondoudis, 2022 will see an all-time high in the number of trademark applications for NFTs, metaverses, and crypto-related products.
