Japanese car manufacturer Nissan is the most recent automobile manufacturer to step up its Web3 presence, having filed four new Web3-related trademarks in the United States while its Japan unit is experimenting with automobile sales in the metaverse.
The latest files cover Nissan’s Infiniti, Nismo, and Nissan brands, according to trademark applications Nissan filed with the USPTO on March 7. Nissan’s ambitions to develop virtual clothing, vehicles, headgear, toys, tickets, trading cards, and a marketplace for exchanging and minting NFTs are revealed in the USPTO filings.
Along with a website that contains details on all of Nissan’s proposed NFTs and how they will operate, the company has also laid out plans for metaverse advertising services and other “entertainment services” encompassing online video, images, artwork, tickets, audio, sounds, music, and trading cards.
According to their filing, there are provisions for “non-downloadable computer software for use as a digital wallet.”
Nissan’s Metaverse
Nissan Japan revealed last week on the 8th of March 2023 that it will be running a three-month pilot program of its virtual store “Nissan Hype Lab” to “learn, consult, test drive, and purchase Nissan vehicles” while in the metaverse. While this is going on, the company will explore the possibilities for new methods of car sales.
Customers will be able to access the virtual storefront through a laptop or smartphone “24 hours a day” during the pilot program, which runs from March 8 to June 30. Consumers can design personalized avatars for themselves, and during specific hours, they can even communicate with virtual sales representatives. Customers can place a car order and complete purchase agreements through this virtual sales office.
In October 2022, Nissan also submitted five trademark applications for some of its more well-known automobile models, including the SKYLINE, Z, and GTR.
The vehicle brand’s applications at the time, according to trademark lawyer Mike Kondoudis, hinted at plans for NFT-backed media, online NFT marketplaces, digital wallets, and NFT minting, trading, and storing software.
Automobile Companies and the Metaverse
With its most recent trademark applications covering its Chevrolet and Cadillac names on Feb. 16, the automotive industry giant General Motors has likewise been highly active with NFT-related filings.
Ford Motor Company, an American automaker, prepared for its debut into the NFT and Metaverse in September by submitting 19 trademark applications across its main auto brands.
Multinational firms are continuing to file trademark applications for Web3, crypto, non fungible tokens (NFTs), and the Metaverse despite the ongoing crypto winter and bear market.
