General Motors (GM) has filed requests related to NFTs trademark applications for its Cadillac and Chevrolet brands. The requests filed on February 16 specifically cover media files, including video, audio, and art that can be authenticated via NFT.

The company has already issued NFTs for both brands. In October 2022, Cadillac auctioned off NFTs to commemorate the company’s 120th anniversary. In June 2022, Chevrolet partnered with SuperRare to auction off a digital collectible depicting the 2023 Corvette Z06. However, we did not find a trademark application for the Corvette.

The most obvious motivation for submissions is to prevent others from issuing NFTs related to their brands. One example is the recent intellectual property lawsuit won by the luxury brand Hermes. He sued Mason Rothschild, who created the MetaBirkins NFT collection with images of Birkin-style bags.

Sometimes trademark filings are indicative of future plans on web3. Luxury automaker BMW filed similar trademark applications covering NFT-authenticated digital files and also the metaverse. Following this, he introduced a concept car inspired by the metaverse i Vision Dee.

Trademark filings by other automakers highlight the broader interest in the industry metaverse. In September 2022, Ford introduced 19 trademark applicationsand Mercedes-Benz filed trademark applications for NFTs and cryptocurrencies for various car models.

With the metaverse projected to have an impact of $5 trillion by 2030, various sectors are looking for value in the metaverse. Reports indicate that the automotive industry is among the leaders in the current adoption of metaverses. About 17% of their digital budgets go towards investing in the metaverse. The trademark filings indicate that the automotive industry continues to find value in creating unique virtual experiences for deeper digital engagement.