Numerous brands, including Walmart, Adidas, and Nike, have already invested in virtual reality platforms' popularity.
McDonald's has now jumped on board. The fast-food chain has applied for a series of trademarks for a virtual restaurant that will deliver food both online and in-person.
Josh Gerben, a trademark attorney whose firm monitors new trademark filings daily, first mentioned the application on Twitter Wednesday, highlighting 10 McDonald's trademarks.
As of Thursday morning, McDonald's stock had gained 0.046% in the previous 24-hour period.
The requests come on the heels of Panera Bread's February 3 trademark application for the "Paneraverse," which seeks to trademark its downloadable, virtual food and beverage items "for use in virtual worlds," as well as NFTs and the ability to purchase actual goods in the virtual world for delivery.
Virtual goods are a well-established trend in the metaverse, for example, in gaming items and avatar clothing. However, virtual food and beverages were previously unheard of.
A metaverse is a collection of three-dimensional virtual worlds that are specifically designed for social interaction.
In futurism and science fiction, the term is frequently used to refer to a hypothetical iteration of the Internet as a single, universal virtual world enabled by the use of virtual and augmented reality gadgets.
The netaverse, like NFTs, is a highly divisive subject. While some see it as a natural evolution of the internet, others see it as a nightmare scenario.
McDonald's also trademarked entertainment services and events, including online actual and virtual concerts, under the McDonald's and McCafe brands.
The trademarks would protect the concept of a McDonald's restaurant in the metaverse that sells both virtual and physical food, Gerben explained on social media.
"You're mingling in the metaverse and becoming hungry. You don't have to remove your headset. You enter a McDonald's restaurant and place an order. It then arrives at your door a short time later," he wrote on Twitter.
The trademarks will almost certainly be approved by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, though the review process typically takes eight to nine months, Gerben told Forbes.
McDonald's, according to Gerben, should have no difficulty obtaining trademark approval.
Meanwhile, it appears as though McDonald's foray into the metaverse has raised a lot of eyebrows.
Jonathan Maze, editor of Restaurant Business magazine, downplayed the significance of the filings, stating that the move is intended to deter copycats from opening a McDonald's in the virtual world.
