Payments company Mastercard has applied for at least 15 crypto- and metaverse-related trademarks, according to data from the United States Patent and Trademark Office payments giant Mastercard filed 15 cryptocurrency, metaverse and NFT related trademark applications on April 4th.
Mastercard’s applications include trademarks for virtual cards and payments in the metaverse, an application to create NFTs, an NFT marketplace, as well as a marketplace for crypto assets in general.
“Provision of an online marketplace for buyers and sellers of downloadable digital goods and media authenticated by non-fungible tokens (NFTs),” one of Mastercard’s applications, serial number 97346029, read.
Another application includes plans for downloadable music files which would be backed up by NFTs, as well as other multimedia assets like artwork, text, audio and video – all of which would be authenticated by NFTs. American patent lawyer Mike Kondoudis noted the applications on Twitter.
“We are continually looking for opportunities to deliver new and unique experiences to our customers and cardholders. This filing is simply part of that effort, ensuring that the trademark protection for our brand carries through to any potential use in the metaverse uninterrupted,” a Mastercard spokesperson told Insider.
The global payments company also filed to create virtual cards that would allow them to take payment for goods and services in the metaverse, including debit, credit and prepaid cards. This is just the company’s latest play in the space as it previously partnered with crypto exchange Coinbase in January to offer a series of crypto services.
The cryptocurrency exchange announced in January that it had enlisted the help of Mastercard to improve customer experience when purchasing digital collectibles by classifying NFTs as digital goods. This, according to Coinbase, will allow a wider group of consumers to purchase the digital collectibles.
