Metaverse trademark filings increased by 205% in 2022, data from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) showed.

The total new metaverse trademark applications throughout 2022 were 5,850 and this was three times that of 2021’s 1,914. While this looks impressive, the statistic from 2022 was a 491% rise in metaverse applications in 2020. Metaverse trademark filings during the year of the pandemic were 990.

Also read: What Is the Metaverse – Today?

Metaverse filings peaked in March

Trademark applications related to the metaverse peaked in March when 786 individuals and companies made filings. While projects such as ApeCoin which also featured the Otherside Metaverse later in the year was launched in March, Taco Bell filed trademark applications for its name and logo for virtual foods, drinks, and restaurants with actual and virtual goods within the month. Pizza Hut, Hooters, Dunkin, and Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) also filed metaverse trademark apps for the same products as Taco Bell. 

Television personality and restaurateur GUY FIERI also filed trademark applications with plans for virtual restaurants, concerts, foods, drinks, and goods. 

Tetris, Burger King and Playboy getting into the metaverse

Retail gaming platform GameStop, fast food restaurant Arby’s, iconic game Tetris, a multinational chain of hamburger fast food restaurants in the form of Burger King, Meta Platforms Inc. (owners of Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, Meta Quest, Horizon Worlds, Mapillary, and Workplace), and Playboy Enterprises also filed metaverse trademark applications within the period. 

Other mainstream organizations that contributed to March’s peak included, but are not limited to, the French soccer club (Paris Saint Germain), Tommy Hilfiger, World Wrestling Entertainment, American Express and Versace. 

The bearishness brought forth by the collapse of FTX which affected crypto tokens, crypto stocks, and metaverse stocks transcended to metaverse filings in December. 

During the last month of 2022, the USPTO saw its lowest number of metaverse trademark applications with just 323 filed, 58% below the year’s high in March. Jeweler Harry Winston, banking giant HSBC, Fidelity Investments, and Mercedes headlined the filings, according to USPTO attorney Mike Kondoudis. 

While key players that have been forecasted to contribute to the $825 billion worth of the metaverse by 2030 such as Meta (Facebook) and Roblox were active in the development of the emerging sector, others are yet to make a strong impact on this growing space. 

Future of the metaverse in 2023 and beyond

In less than a week into the New Year, the metaverse has made enormous gains. South Korean technology giant LG Electronics announced on Jan. 4 that it has partnered with Oorbit, a cloud-based technology platform to bring interoperable gaming and social experiences directly to your LG Smart TVs. 

Aside from this, a recent report by Outform, a future retail agency revealed that around 58% of consumer electronics shoppers are willing to shop in the metaverse. 

As MetaNews previously covered, automobile company FIAT launched the world’s first metaverse-powered dealership. This will enable customers to configure, drive, and then buy their car virtually inside the human-assisted digital experience. 

Also, metaverse tokens such as Axie Infinity (AXS), The Sandbox (SAND), and Decentraland (MANA) have seen a price spike in January.