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McDonald’s is entering the metaverse after having filed 10 trademark applications outlining that the chain will provide “downloadable multimedia files” for artwork, audio and video applications, as well as NFTs. Additionally, the fast food giant’s business plans include operating a virtual restaurant featuring actual and digital goods, with said virtual restaurant also featuring a home delivery option.
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Josh Gerben, trademark attorney and founder of Gerben Law, flagged the trademarks on Twitter. He told GOBankingRates that the more functional aspect of the applications is the idea of ordering real-world McDonald’s from within the metaverse.
“So, say you’re in a virtual world and you’re playing games and you get hungry. Instead of getting off your couch, you can walk down the street in the metaverse and walk to McDonald’s and virtual clerks take your order, and in 20 minutes, your order comes to your door,” he said. “It might seem strange to some folks, but it’s a thing.”
Asked when these applications could come to fruition, Gerben said that from a technological perspective, “in a couple of years, maybe.”
From a trademark filing point of view, McDonald’s has to prove they are offering virtual restaurants, however. “They [McDonald’s] will have about 4 years from the filing to prove they are actually doing it,” Gerben explained.
“But it’s very likely the reason the filings were made is that these types of services are very imminent, probably within the next 24 months,” he added. In the past three or four months — since the Facebook/Meta announcement — several major companies are filing trademark applications, and lots of companies are having serious internal conversations about how to adapt to this.”
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Gerben added that “nobody wants to be the next Blockbuster, and everybody wants to stay relevant, so large companies are having conversations about how to prepare and how they will operate in the metaverse.”
“You are going to see every major brand make similar filings in the next 12 months, we see these filings coming every single day,” he concluded.
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Markus Levin, head of operations at California tech startup XY Labs and co-founder of XYO, echoed this sentiment. He told GOBankingRates that the metaverse represents a potential once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for companies, creators, artists, and brands to engage with customers and fans in exciting new ways.
“The future shape of what the …….
