US Food Companies Book Seats in Metaverse

The metaverse and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) did not become limited to celebrities, stores, or government bodies, they also include food trademarks.

This is already happening when a number of food companies rushed to book seats in the Web 3.0 ecosystem by filing their trademark applications to be in the metaverse and as NFTs.

Kraft Foods Group applied to trademark its iconic hot-dog-shaped Wienermobile last week. The filing application showed the company’s intention to expand into NFTs, NFT marketplaces, digital tokens, virtual goods, food, drink, and restaurants, according to Licensed trademark attorney Mike Kondoudis.

The application also revealed that Kraft Foods plans to establish its virtual restaurant in the metaverse, featuring virtual goods to be delivered in the real and virtual worlds.

Earlier this month, In-N-Out Burger, the American regional chain of fast food restaurants, filed a similar trademark application to open an online retail store, which is supposed to sell virtual goods, including food, beverages, and merchandise linked with the brand to be used in the virtual world.

The trademark application mentioned that In-N-Out Burger plans to offer, “temporary use of online non-downloadable software for users to access, transmit, exchange and establish ownership of virtual goods, blockchain tokens, nonfungible tokens, digital media, digital files, and digital assets in the field of food, beverages, restaurants, and merchandise.”

Moreover, Del Monte Foods submitted eight trademark applications for its main brands; DEL MONTE and The Del Monte Shield to create NFTs, NFT-backed media, and virtual marketplaces, restaurants, stores, foods, and drinks.

The food company plans to set up software for managing, verifying, storing, and authenticating digital currency, crypto-collectibles, digital tokens and files, and virtual goods and services.

It is worth mentioning that in 2022, more than 5,800 trademark applications have been filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, for NFTs, while the number of submitted apps for NFTs was only 2,087 in 2021.

Also, over 3,600 trademark applications for cryptocurrencies and crypto-related services were filed with USPTO as of August 31.