Stephanie Douse 
United Parcel Service (UPS) has filed metaverse trademark applications for its United Parcel Service, The UPS Store, UPS, and the UPS Logo with the US Patent office.
United Parcel Service (UPS), a multinational shipping and receiving firm based in the United States, plans to enter the metaverse. Mike Kondoudis, a trademark attorney for non-fungible tokens (NFTs), announced the news in a tweet.
UPS filed the patent and trademark applications with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on April 5. The apps span a wide range of virtual and non-tangible goods and services.
UPS intends to provide NFTs and crypto-collectibles, NFT-backed multimedia, virtual retail shipping and delivery, virtual apparel, packages, vehicles, airplanes, and sports collectibles, marketplaces for digital goods, and NFT-backed media, and virtual retail storefronts.
“UPS is a global shipping and delivery brand, and the value attached to its trademarks is significant. These filings are the next logical step to protect the UPS brand as it enters the metaverse.”
The April 5 patent applications, according to Kondoudis, show that UPS believes in the metaverse’s potential. UPS is developing its trademarks and brand for the virtual economy, with the expectation of becoming a major player in the metaverse, he noted.
UPS’ patent filings, according to Kondoulis, might lead to a flood of similar applications from the shipping, logistics, and package delivery industries.
He ended by saying,
“We expect the number of trademark filings for NFT and virtual products and services from the shipping, logistics, and package delivery sector to increase in the next 12 months as brands come to appreciate the need for protection in the Metaverse.”
Businesses embrace the metaverse
Established firms like Samsung and Disney swiftly joined the market when Facebook rebranded to Meta and unveiled its metaverse goals.
Wendy’s, a fast-food restaurant business, for example, submitted trademark applications on April 6 for Wendy’s, Frosty, Baconator, Wendyverse, and The Wendy’s Logo. Virtual foods and beverages, NFTs and digital tokens, virtual goods marketplaces, and online virtual worlds are all examples of these uses.
On April 4, financial services company Mastercard filed 15 patent applications pertaining to NFT and metaverse. Mastercard, Priceless, and the firm’s logo were among the 15 applications.
These applications span NFT-backed media, metaverse payment processing, digital goods, NFT marketplaces, and metaverse e-commerce transactions.