This 12 months noticed an inflow of trademark functions filed by varied corporations seeking to get in on the Web3 motion. By November, a complete of 4,999 trademark functions had been filed in the US for cryptocurrencies and digital-related items and providers — in keeping with United States Patent and Trademark Workplace-licensed trademark lawyer Mike Kondoudis.
Kondoudis believes the way forward for the Web3 ecosystem appears “brilliant” and “mainstream adoption is inevitable.” To study extra concerning the impression of Web3 trademark functions filed on the way forward for the Web3 ecosystem, Cointelegraph interviewed Kondoudis.
Cointelegraph has coated a variety of trademark utility tales in 2022, starting from luxurious manufacturers akin to Hermès to automotive manufacturers like Ford, all making a bid for the Web3 ecosystem. In our interview, Kondoudis revealed that he was shocked by the scope and mixture of corporations that havefiled trademark functions for the Web3 ecosystem.
Cointelegraph: What shocked you most about filed trademark functions for the Web3 house this 12 months? Any attention-grabbing observations out of your perspective?
Mike Kondoudis: One of many greatest surprises is the disparate sectors represented on this 12 months’s Web3 trademark functions. We noticed filings by grocery shops, pet meals manufacturers, sports activities groups and leagues, cities and landmarks, casinos/gaming corporations, and even recreation exhibits. This was the 12 months that Web3 appeared to get the eye of company America.
CT: Had been you shocked by the sort of corporations that filed trademark functions for the Web3 ecosystem? Do you’ve gotten any statistics on the kind of corporations that filed essentially the most logos for the Web3 house? For instance, was it meals corporations, booze corporations or automotive corporations?
MK: Sure, there have been some surprises this 12 months, and the wave of latest Web3 trademark functions included some curious trademark functions. For instance, we noticed Web3 trademark filings by automotive rental corporations. It’s not completely clear how a lot of a market there could also be for digital automotive leases or rental automotive NFTs within the metaverse.
On the similar time, we noticed some sectors that had been saturated — all the main gamers filed Web3 trademark functions. A few of these sectors embrace quick meals, monetary providers, clothes/attire, luxurious items and footwear.
Seeing the big selection of trademark functions filed this 12 months hints that mainstream adoption of Web3 expertise is inevitable and in addition reveals that the ecosystem has the potential to develop and thrive sooner or later.
CT: Based mostly on filed trademark functions for the Web3 ecosystem, what do you imagine the way forward for Web3 (blockchain tech just like the metaverse, cryptocurrency and NFTs) will appear to be?
MK: I believe the long run is brilliant and that mainstream adoption is inevitable. There are undoubtedly macroeconomic forces and regulatory challenges to beat within the close to time period. However, based mostly on the Web3 trademarking exercise I’ve seen, there are lots of main manufacturers which can be making ready to significantly put money into Web3 as a result of they acknowledge the benefits and alternatives that blockchain applied sciences provide. That funding ought to guarantee continued momentum towards the adoption of the Web3 ecosystem.
CT: Do you imagine corporations submitting for logos within the metaverse, cryptocurrency and NFT house are taking part in a vital function within the adoption of blockchain-based applied sciences?
MK: Sure, I imagine that the businesses submitting new trademark functions in these areas are important to the widespread adoption and implementation of Web3 and blockchain-based applied sciences. There are a number of technological challenges that can should be overcome for the widespread adoption of Web3, and that’s going to take time and money. Right now’s Web3 trademark filers symbolize the financial catalysts to fund the funding wanted to beat the technological challenges. And, their funding will, over time, deliver the expertise inside attain of smaller and extra modest corporations.
All kinds of corporations — together with healthcare, insurance coverage and alcohol manufacturers — have all filed logos for NFT-, cryptocurrency- and metaverse-related exercise. Nevertheless, these given examples might not be capable of navigate the house as simply as different manufacturers, akin to clothes corporations, attributable to regulatory hurdles they should overcome to totally combine with the house.
CT: Do you assume corporations might have to beat and navigate regulatory challenges earlier than having the ability to navigate the Web3 house?
MK: I believe that it is a sector-by-sector situation. In additional closely regulated industries like healthcare and insurance coverage, for instance, I believe there will likely be some rising pains as corporations attempt to adjust to laws that won’t have been written with Web3 in thoughts. In distinction, industries with fewer regulatory burdens like attire or luxurious items appear to have had a neater path to Web3.
CT: Are logos for the Web3 ecosystem costly to file? How a lot do you imagine, on common, corporations are paying to file for Web3-based trademark functions?
MK: One of many engaging points of logos is that they don’t seem to be costly to file. Many new Web3 trademark functions will be professionally ready and filed for lower than $2,000. This makes them a relative discount, particularly when in comparison with the prices of preventing a model dispute with no federal trademark registration.
CT: Do you assume the cryptocurrency bear market has negatively impacted the variety of corporations that filed for logos within the Web3 ecosystem?
MK: Sure, the difficulties within the cryptocurrency market, coupled with considerations a few broader financial downturn, appear to have had a marked impression on the variety of new Web3 trademark functions. The variety of new trademark filings for the Web3 ecosystem has declined by about 40% over the second half of 2022.
An extended bear market and present market situations exacerbated by the sudden collapse of FTX have taken a toll on the whole ecosystem. Though the enterprise potential of the Web3 ecosystem nonetheless stays monumental, Kondoudis projected that subsequent 12 months might not essentially see development within the variety of logos functions filed for the ecosystem, attributable to varied components akin to a bear market with no estimated finish in sight and a extensively anticipated financial downturn.
CT: Do you anticipate to see a rise in trademark functions for the Internet 3 house filed subsequent 12 months? Or do you anticipate issues to decelerate?
MK: We don’t anticipate to see a rise. We anticipate to see about the identical variety of filings.
The variety of new Web3 trademark filings has decreased over the second half of this 12 months. This lower seems to be in response to considerations about recession, different macroeconomic considerations, and the cryptocurrency bear market. Since these considerations will seemingly proceed in 2023, we anticipate their results to proceed as properly.
CT: Any related ideas and feedback about logos filed for the Web3 ecosystem, in addition to your ideas/opinions on blockchain tech just like the metaverse, cryptocurrency and NFTs?
MK: The enterprise potential of the Web3 ecosystem is critical. And, regardless of present headwinds, Web3 goes to proceed to maneuver towards mainstream adoption within the subsequent few years. Manufacturers will want safety on this ecosystem simply as they do within the “actual world” right this moment. They’ll additionally want safety as they transition and/or broaden into the digital financial system of Web3. That’s why so many corporations have been submitting Web3 trademark functions.
The preliminary rush to file Web3 trademark functions appears to have run its course. We at the moment are seeing the combination of Web3 services and products into mainstream trademarking methods. Going ahead, I’d anticipate to see NFT, crypto and metaverse services and products included in trademark functions together with conventional or “actual world” services and products.
