Nissan registers 4 Web trademarks, tests metaverse sales

Nissan is the most recent automaker to intensify its Web3 efforts, submitting four new Web3-related trademarks in the United States as its Japan division experiments with automobile sales in the metaverse.

Nissan’s trademark applications submitted to the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on March 7 pertain to its Infiniti, Nismo, and Nissan trademarks.

The USPTO papers disclose Nissan’s intentions to develop virtual clothing, automobiles, headgear, trading cards, toys, and tickets, as well as a marketplace for trading and minting NFTs.

In addition, the company has outlined plans for metaverse advertising services and other “entertainment services” encompassing online video, images, artwork, tickets, audio, sounds, music, and trading cards, as well as a website with detailed information about Nissan’s proposed NFTs and how they will function.

According to the petition, there are also plans for “non-downloadable computer software for use as a digital wallet.”

Nissan Japan said this week, on March 8, that it would run a three-month “demonstration experiment” of its virtual shop “Nissan Hype Lab” to “learn, consult, test-drive, and buy Nissan automobiles” in the metaverse.

“At the same time, we will investigate the feasibility of new automobile sales techniques,” the company said in a statement.

The pilot, which runs from March 8 to June 30, will let clients access the virtual shop via computer or mobile device “24 hours a day.”

Clients may design their personalized avatars and communicate with virtual sales employees during particular hours.

According to the release, customers may place orders for the vehicle and conclude purchase contracts via this virtual sales office.

In October 2022, Nissan also submitted five trademark applications for some of its most renowned automobile models, including the SKYLINE, Z, and GTR.

Mike Kondoudis, a trademark attorney at the time, said that the automobile manufacturer’s applications indicated intentions for NFT-backed media, online NFT markets, digital wallets, NFT minting, trading, and storage of software.

General Motors has also been quite active with NFT-related registrations, with its most recent trademark applications covering its Chevrolet and Cadillac names being submitted on February 16.

Ford Motor Company, an American automobile company, prepared its debut into the realm of NFTs and the Metaverse in September by filing 19 trademark applications for its key automobile brands.

Multinational firms continue to submit trademark applications for Web3, cryptocurrencies, nonfungible tokens (NFTs), and the Metaverse despite the continuing crypto winter and bear market.

In 2022, Kondoudis reported a record amount of trademark applications for NFTs, metaverses, and crypto-related goods.