On October 27th, Nike quietly filed multiple requests for virtual goods with the U.S Patent and Trademark Office. The virtual goods included shoes, accessories, and other downloadable virtual retail. This could mean that Nike is preparing to enter the Metaverse, with their filings for virtual goods that are intended to be used in “online and in online virtual worlds”. The filings were listed with both Nike and Jordan’s respective logos and trademarks.
Nike’s famous tagline, “Just Do It”, was also included on the filings, an iconic and recognizable attribute of Nike. The filings included items such as sports equipment, eyewear, headwear, bags, and backpacks. These downloaded applications are intended for virtual goods that will be used in retail stores and virtual environments. This allows Nike to experiment with Metaverse while they also protect their IP.
Since these fillings are under an “intent to use” basis, it means that Nike could extend their offerings to the NFT in the future. Although Nike made sure to quietly file the requests and they haven’t made an official statement yet, we think that Nike is just getting started with its journey into digital goods.
Although Nike is the most recent, it certainly isn’t the first large brand to branch out into the NFT and virtual goods world. Coca-Cola, Gucci, and Burberry are just three big brands that have experimented with NFTs. As virtual commodities have started to gain more attention from consumers and become more popular, it’s also become more common to see bigger brands interacting with the NFT community.
Coca-Cola auctioned off a one-of-one set of NFTs a few months back in July and Gucci launched their one NFT, the same for Burberry. These are brands that saw consumers getting more interested in virtual goods and decided to step into the new experience. They’re embracing the future and getting started on the journey that we expect to see even more brands starting in the future.
As we wait for a statement from Nike and to hear more, we can only assume big companies like Nike will make a splash in the NFT world.
