16,000 metaverse trademark applications filed, unlikely to pass in China

China’s National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) said on Monday that 16,000 trademarks containing the word “metaverse” have been filed. 

Fast facts

• CNIPA opposed the high number of fillings, vowing to crack down on “malicious registrations” of trademarks, such as piggybacking on the rising popularity of the metaverse.
• In January, the CNIPA said that metaverse-related trademarks are unlikely to pass its screening, adding that technology itself cannot be trademarked. 

• By the end of last year, 12,000 trademarks containing the word metaverse had filed for registration, according to the China Star Market.

• Chinese tech giants are among those that have filed for metaverse trademarks, including Tencent, ByteDance, NetEase and Baidu.
• None of the applications from major tech companies have been approved as of press time, according to CNIPA records.
• The China Banking & Insurance Regulatory Commission last Friday issued a warning against illegal fundraising exploiting fake metaverse projects, blockchain games, digital real estate and cryptocurrencies.