The name of the legendary boxer and activist Muhammad Ali is now protected as a trademark in the Web3 space extending to non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and virtual goods in the metaverse.
Indeed, the trademark of the boxer nicknamed ‘The Greatest’, who is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century, is registered under the U.S. Registration No. 6881575, issued on October 18, according to a tweet posted by NFT and metaverse licensed trademark attorney Michael Kondoudis on October 19.
The registered trademark covers NFT-authenticated media featuring Ali, virtual clothing, footwear, headwear, sports bags, and equipment.
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Konduodis told Finbold:
“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.”
He added:
“We expect this trend of celebrity Web3 trademarks to continue as more celebrities come to recognize the need for brand protection in the metaverse.”
Trademarking celebrity names
It’s worth mentioning that the trademark application for Muhammad Ali was one of several filed in late 2021 to trademark celebrity names. Some of the others include Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley.
Notably, the Football star Cristiano Ronaldo signed an exclusive NFT partnership with Binance back in June. Many athletes and sports organizations across the world are jumping on the NFT bandwagon in an effort to maintain their level of fan engagement with fans.
Finbold previously reported, professional basketball player Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA) submitted 26 trademark applications for the NFT and the metaverse.
Finally, it’s also worth noting NFT and blockchain-related trademarks filed in the U.S. surpassed 6,000 already so far in 2022, three times the figure reported for 2021.
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