Chinese telecom giant ZTE snaps up metaverse-related trademarks

Chinese telecommunications equipment maker ZTE has successfully registered a number of metaverse-related English trademarks.

See related article: ‘Metaverse’ enters government radar at China’s Two Sessions

Fast facts

• ZTE’s trademarks fall under the scientific equipment and communication services categories, setting the stage for the firm to provide related services in the metaverse.
• The partially state-owned Chinese telecom giant was deemed a threat to national security by the U.S., leading to President Joe Biden banning ZTE from receiving new equipment licenses in the country.
• On Tuesday, a U.S. court ruled that ZTE should be allowed to end its five-year probation for violating U.S. sanctions for illegal shipping of U.S. technology to Iran and North Korea.
• The metaverse was examined at a national level at China’s Two Sessions last month, the country’s most important set of political meetings.
• The National Intellectual Property Administration said in February it had received at least 16,000 trademark applications containing the word “metaverse.”

See related article: 16,000 metaverse trademark applications filed, unlikely to pass in China