Several trademark applications have been submitted in late October this year by Oregon-based sportswear company Nike to prepare for the production and trading of virtual Nike products, such as virtual apparel and trainers.
Words, logos and slogans iconic to the Nike brand appeared in the company’s trademark filing, including brand name ‘Nike’, signature phrase ‘Just Do It’, its basketball brand ‘Jordan’ and logos swoosh and jumpman. Nike’s application to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office indicated intent for the trademarks as ‘downloadable virtual goods, namely, computer programs featuring footwear, clothing, headwear, eyewear, bags, sports bags, backpacks, sports equipment, art, toys and accessories for use online and in online virtual worlds.’ (source)
According to reports, Nike entering the metaverse is mere speculation as the multinational has yet to explicitly state its intentions regarding the trademarked virtual products. However, Nike has dropped several clues of preparing to enter the virtual world as a key player as the company published two brand new job applications for virtual footwear and material designer to bring virtual products to life using 3D modelling tools. (source)
Job description for the role of Virtual Material Designer states,
‘You will play a key role in redefining our digital landscape, ushering us into the metaverse, and growing our team’s capabilities.’
(source)
Nike has been dipping its toes in the virtual world since collaborating with Fortnite to release virtual limited edition Nike Air Jordans in 2019 (source). The sportswear giant has also partnered with online gaming platform Roblox to release a virtual wardrobe for the game including Nike Air Max trainers (source). The world of NFTs is also no stranger to Nike. The company filed a patent for ‘Cryptokicks’ with the US patent office last year in April, a blockchain-based purchasing system that enables digital ownership of a physical pair of trainers. (source)
We wrote about NFTs in February – click here to read more about them!
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