Recent U.S. trademark data showed that interest in Non-Fungible Tokens is still elevated in 2022. The number of NFT trademark applications filed so far this year has already surpassed all of last year’s applications.
1967 NFT-related applications have been filed so far in 2022, higher than the 1965 applications filed last year, according to data from intellectual property lawyer Mike Kondoudis.
The data indicates that a boom in 2021, which took total market valuation to $25 billion from $95 million in a year, has shown no sign of slowing down.
Popular brands jump into NFT adoption this year
Their rising popularity through 2021 has now seen several popular brands applying for NFT and metaverse-related trademarks. Recent trademark data shows Burger King, Playboy, WWE and DKNY all have plans to issue NFTs, and gain a presence in the metaverse. Card operator American Express also recently applied for NFT-related trademarks.
Several major technology firms have also sought to capitalize on the NFT craze by launching their own marketplaces. Videogame retailer GameStop’s marketplace, which is based on Loopring, went live earlier this week. Japanese social media giant Line also announced its own NFT marketplace.
Facebook owner Meta recently revealed plans to introduce NFTs into its widely used social media platform instagram- a move that is likely to boost mass adoption of the medium.
Celebrity interest in NFTs also grows
The medium’s growing popularity has also attracted a host of celebrities into minting their own tokens. Earlier today, popular rapper Snoop Dogg launched a new collection of music tokens themed around ApeCoin (APE) and the Bored Ape Yacht Club.
New entrants to the NFT world this year include NBA star Lebron James, as well as singer Cher and action movie star Chuck Norris, who were all seen applying for token-related trademarks.
The growing popularity has also enabled major players to branch out into other projects. Yuga Labs, creator of the Bored Ape Yacht Club NFTs, recently launched a new token, and unveiled plans to create its own metaverse game. The firm also bought the rights to CryptoPunks, the second-biggest NFT collection after Bored Ape.
