<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The number of U.S. trademark applications pertaining to NFTs and other blockchain products have already nearly tripled in 2022 compared to the entirety of 2021. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Last year saw a total of 2,142 NFT-related trademarks filed. By the end of September of 2022, there were 6,366 of such trademarks submitted, based on U.S. Patent and Trademark Office data compiled by the trademark attorney </span><a href="https://twitter.com/KondoudisLaw/status/1577636736901222401" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mike Kondoudis</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <div id="attachment_175031"class="wp-caption alignnone" style="max-width: 810px;"><img class="has-caption size-medium wp-image-175031" src="https://www.tbstat.com/wp/uploads/2022/10/2022-NFT-Trademarks-800x450.jpeg" alt="" width="800" height="450" /><p class="wp-caption-text"><span style="font-size: 8pt;">2022 NFT trademark data, from USPTO data compiled by Michael Kondoudis.</span></p></div> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">March of 2022 was the hottest month for NFT-related trademark filings with 1,080 submitted. Every subsequent month in 2022 had lower filings, with a 15% decrease between August and September of this year. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Despite the month-over-month decreases, March still marked when NFT-related trademark filings </span><a href="https://www.theblock.co/post/168016/nft-and-metaverse-trademark-applications-for-2022-have-already-eclipsed-2021s-total" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;">surpassed</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> what 2021 had in its entirety. Companies to file trademarks this year include </span><a href="https://www.theblock.co/linked/133680/mcdonalds-and-panera-bread-file-trademarks-for-virtual-restaurants-in-the-metaverse" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;">McDonald’s</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.theblock.co/linked/130407/shoe-company-crocs-is-eyeing-an-nft-play-according-to-trademark-application" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Crocs</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.theblock.co/post/136462/healthcare-giant-cvs-files-for-nfts-and-virtual-goods-trademark" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;">CVS</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and even the television personality </span><a href="https://www.theblock.co/linked/133971/dr-oz-files-trademarks-for-kitchen-appliances-diet-classes-and-other-digital-goods-and-services-in-the-metaverse" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Dr. Oz</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The fact that companies are filing trademarks related to web3 goods does not necessarily mean they intend to launch such products. Many firms preemptively file trademarks to </span><a href="https://www.theblockcrypto.com/news+/138312/why-brands-are-racing-to-get-trademarks-that-extend-to-the-digital-world" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;">protect</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> their intellectual property from being misused in virtual spaces, The Block previously reported.</span></p><br /><span class="copyright"><p>© 2023 The Block Crypto, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.</p> </span>