McDonald’s joins metaverse bandwagon with 10 trademark applications

• Restaurant chain McDonald’s recently filed for ten metaverse trademark applications with the US Patent and Trademarks Office.
• The enterprise plans to provide downloadable files and NFTs, virtual restaurants, and virtual concerts among other events.

Iconic fast-food chain restaurant McDonald’s wants in on the Metaverse. The enterprise has filed ten trademark applications for the virtual space, according to trademark attorney and founder of Gerben Intellectual Property Josh Gerben. 

Submitted on Feb. 4, the applications indicate plans for “a virtual restaurant featuring actual and virtual goods.” McDonald’s would also like to operate “a virtual restaurant featuring home delivery.” Additionally, the restaurant would be able to provide “downloadable multimedia files,” such as artwork, audio, video files, and non-fungible tokens (NFTs).

McDonald’s metaverse venture

What’s more, McDonald’s would like to onboard its in-coffee-house-styled food and drink chain McCafe into its Metaverse plans. The brand would offer entertainment services, such as “online actual and virtual concerts and other virtual events.” 

Should these plans see the light of day, the golden arches would be competing with other virtual concert organizers like Animal Concerts. Such concerts are becoming increasingly attractive since they would do away with the geographical barriers preventing fans and artists’ interaction. They would also cut down touring costs, and even the risk of contracting Covid-19.

McDonald’s Metaverse trademark applications came just a day after bakery and cafe chain Panera Bread submitted a similar application. It intends to provide a virtual restaurant and cafe chain known as PANERAVERSE. Like McDonalds, Panera Bread will feature downloadable content and NFTs, virtual food and beverages and virtual meeting spaces.

“I think you’re going to see every brand that you can think of make these filings within the next 12 months,” Gerben told Forbes on Feb. 9, adding:

I don’t think anyone wants to be the next Blockbuster and just completely ignore a new technology that’s coming.

His comments are in line with events marking increased adoption of the metaverse, even in its nascent stages. Late last year, over 1,300 firms in China applied for Metaverse trademarks, regardless of the central bank’s resistance. Silicon Valley tech giants Apple, Meta and Microsoft are also making forays into the same. More so, a February report by Gartner research indicates that 25 percent of people will spend their time in the Metaverse by 2026.

On average, the US Patent and Trademarks Office takes roughly nine and a half months to review applications. However, Gerben is confident that neither McDonald’s nor Panera Bread will have trouble having its applications go through.

McDonald’s new Metaversal interest comes about two weeks after it made fun of crypto hodlers during the recent dip. One thing led to another, and within hours, various Grimace Coins were tearing up the charts with massive gains.