St. Louis-based brewing empire Anheuser-Busch filed five trademarks to further its plans regarding NFTs and the metaverse.
We need more beer in the metaverse, and this brewing company is making sure we get it after filing a group of trademark applications.
As noted by attorney Josh Gerben of Gerben Intellectual Property, St. Louis-based brewing company Anheuser-Busch, LLC filed a group of trademarks on April 14 with the US Patent and Trademark Office to take its famous beer brands into the metaverse. The company filed to trademark BUDVERSE, BUDWEISER, BUD LIGHT, MICHELOB ULTRA, and STELLA ARTOIS.
Per the descriptions for each filing, the marks consist of standard characters, without claim to any particular font style, size, or color.
Aside from Stella Artois’ Belgium applications — Anheuser-Busch is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Belgian-based AB InBev — the rest were filed in St. Louis via Nadya C. Davis, an attorney at Holland & Hart LLP.
What are the marks for?
Per the filings, here are some more specific items the new marks would cover:
- Downloadable music files authenticated by non-fungible tokens (NFTs) in metaverse platforms and augmented reality platforms”
- “Downloadable audio and video recordings featuring movie clips, memes, commercials authenticated by non-fungible tokens (NFTs) in metaverse platforms and augmented reality platforms”
- “Downloadable image files containing trading cards, beer cans, artistic and creative works, memes, advertisements authenticated by non-fungible tokens (NFTs) in metaverse platforms and augmented reality platforms”
- “Downloadable multimedia file containing artwork, text, audio, and/or video relating to beer and other beverage product merchandise, beer cans authenticated by non-fungible tokens (NFTs) in metaverse platforms and augmented reality platforms”
- “Provision of an online marketplace and metaverse platform and augmented reality platform marketplaces for buyers and sellers of downloadable digital videos, art images, photos, advertisements, artistic and creative work, movie clips, beer, and other beverage product merchandise authenticated by non-fungible tokens (NFTs).”
- “Online entertainment services, namely, providing on-line, non-downloadable gaming services and art exhibition services in a virtual environment and metaverse platforms and augmented reality platforms”
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The Budding Budverse
Anheuser-Busch’s latest trademark filings signal its plans to bring its beer brands’ likeness into virtual worlds. It’ll be interesting to see how the beer giant incorporates music into its plans, but this isn’t the first time Anheuser-Busch has dabbled in the NFT industry. Last November, Budweiser sold out its first NFT collection, which featured 1,936 digital can collectibles generated from archived photos, ads, and designs from the beer company’s history.
Budweiser’s first NFT collection promised holders exclusive access to its growing Budverse. Some of the collection is available on OpenSea.
Budweiser also released a special Budweiser Royalty NFT collection back in January, which featured 11,000 NFTs that directly “support future Kings and Queens of the music industry.”
More Metaverse Trademark News
Here are a few more metaverse-focused trademark filings to keep an eye on:
- Gwenyth Paltrow’s wellness and lifestyle brand, Goop, filed a trademark for Goop to offer an array of virtual goods and accessories authenticated by NFTs.
- FremantleMedia Netherlands BV, the owner of the trademark for The Price is Right, filed a new application to take the game show franchise virtual. The new trademark for The Price is Right would cover a”downloadable multimedia file containing artwork, photographs, text, audio, music, videos, games, and other digital collectibles relating to game shows authenticated by non-fungible tokens (NFTs).”
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