Nissan ventures deeper into Web3 with 4 new trademark applications

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Automobile giant Nissan has made a significant push into Web 3 and blockchain by filing four trademarks with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

The four filings cover three of its best-selling brands, including Infiniti and Nismo, according to a disclosure by USPTO licensed trademark attorney Mike Kondoudis. Nissan could be making a major incursion into non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and the metaverse.

#NISSAN has filed 4 trademark applications for
▶️ INFINITI
▶️ NISMO
▶️ NISSAN

The filings signal plans for
🚗Virtual Clothes + Cars
🚗Stores for Virtual Goods + NFTs
🚗NFT Marketplaces + Trading + Minting
🚗Metaverse Advertising Services#NFT #NFTCommunity #Metaverse #Web3 #Car pic.twitter.com/iG3ZVgyD5t

— Mike Kondoudis (@KondoudisLaw) March 13, 2023

Specifically, some clauses in the filing indicate creating digital collectibles like clothing, headgear, cars, lands, and buildings. Regarding the metaverse, the Japanese car manufacturer disclosed plans for advertising in virtual worlds to include videos, sound, artwork, and trading cards.

There are also provisions to build a marketplace for trading digital collectibles in the metaverse and create a “non-downloadable computer software for use as a digital wallet.”

The software will be used “for creating, minting, sending, receiving, accepting, trading, storing, tracking, authenticating and fitting NFTs and video, and providing temporary use of software for use as a digital wallet,” read one clause in the filing.

Following the filings with the USPTO, Nissan announced a new offering that will allow customers to test drive its vehicles in the metaverse before making their purchases. Titled the Nissan Hype Lab, a demonstration experiment has been scheduled to run for three months with a virtual staff available to guide potential customers.

“When a customer is actually considering purchasing a car, by making a reservation through the virtual staff, a car-life advisor who actually handles the car at a Nissan Tokyo dealership will provide an estimate based on a consultation regarding the car, and a purchase contract will be made,” read the announcement.

In 2022, Nissan filed metaverse-related trademarks for its Skyline, GTR, and Z brands giving it a headstart over other automobile manufacturers.

Car manufacturers wade into Web 3

In the zest of catching up with the latest trends, U.S. automobile manufacturers are seizing the moment to make their own Web 3-related filings with the USPTO.

The Ford Motor Company led the way with a staggering 19 trademark filings in September 2022 for its leading car brands. Another U.S. car manufacturer General Motors, joined the fray with Web 3 trademark filings for its Cadillac and Chevrolet brands.

Although 2022 set an all-time high for DLT trademark filings, experts believe 2023 could provide similar metrics despite a chilling “crypto winter.” Several video game publishers, payment companies, and other multinational corporations submitted their filings with the USPTO in 2023.

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