NFT trademark filings this year so far outstrip 2021's total 3-to-1

Quick Take

  • The number of NFT-related trademark applications in the U.S. have already clocked triple what 2021 had in its entirety. 
  • NFT trademark filings peaked in march, but have fallen in every month since. 

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. 

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 Mike Kondoudis.

2022 NFT trademark data, from USPTO data compiled by Michael Kondoudis.

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. 

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Despite the month-over-month decreases, March still marked when NFT-related trademark filings surpassed what 2021 had in its entirety. Companies to file trademarks this year include McDonald’s, Crocs, CVS and even the television personality Dr. Oz

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 protect their intellectual property from being misused in virtual spaces, The Block previously reported.


© 2023 The Block. 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.

About Author

MK Manoylov has been a reporter for The Block since 2020 — joining just before bitcoin surpassed $20,000 for the first time. Since then, MK has written nearly 1,000 articles for the publication, covering any and all crypto news but with a penchant toward NFT, metaverse, web3 gaming, funding, crime, hack and crypto ecosystem stories. MK holds a graduate degree from New York University's Science, Health and Environmental Reporting Program (SHERP) and has also covered health topics for WebMD and Insider. You can follow MK on X @MManoylov and on LinkedIn.