Quick take:
- The trademark covers NFT-authenticated media featuring the boxer.
- It also covers virtual clothing, footwear, headwear.
- Trademark attorney Mike Kondoudis said the registration was approved in less than a year.
The name of the late American professional boxer and activist, Muhammad Ali, is now a registered trademark under U.S. Registration No. 6881575 issued on Oct 18 by the United States Trademark and Patent Office (USPTO).
The trademark covers goods and services in the Web3 space, including NFT-authenticated media featuring Muhammad Ali, virtual clothing, footwear, headwear, as well as sports bags , equipment, musical instruments, art, toys and accessories for use in virtual environments;
The trademark registration was filed in 2021. Commenting on the trademark approval, patent and trademark attorney Mike Kondoudis said: “This registration was examined and approved in less than a year, which is fairly quick by USPTO standards. We expect the same results for applications for other celebrity names. It also offers a blueprint for protecting celebrity names and brands as they transition into the metaverse.”
Indeed, celebrities have been jumping into the metaverse in recent months. In August, Miley Cyrus registered new Web3 trademarks with plans to offer virtual goods and virtual art while Snoop Dogg filed Web3 trademarks in September indicating plans to launch virtual and physical products, food and apparel linked to cannabis under the Uncle Snoop and Uncle Snoop’s brand names.
Other celebrities who have filed Web3 trademarks include Billie Eilish and Christina Aguilera. They join a growing number of musicians and record labels in their Web3 ventures. Eilish’s record company, Interscope, is owned by its parent company Universal Music Group (UMG). UMG has recently signed a partnership deal with Curio to develop NFTs.
Aguilera’s record company, RCA, is owned by Sony Music Entertainement. While RCA has yet to file Web3 trademark registrations, Sony Music did so for Columbia Records, another record label under its umbrella, in September.
“We expect this trend of celebrity Web3 trademarks to continue as more celebrities come to recognize the need for brand protection in the metaverse,” Kondoudis added.
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