Chinese authorities have started rejecting certain metaverse-related trademark applications, as the government looks to put a stop to rampant applications and abuse of the registration process since the rise in popularity of what is seen by many as the next stage of the internet, reports the South China Morning Post. Multiple trademark applications containing the word yuan yuzhou—translated as metaverse in Mandarin—have been denied registration by the National Intellectual Property Administration, according to the latest data from business and trademark registration tracking firm Tianyancha.
Some of those refused registration were applications from video gaming giant NetEase, streaming video provider iQiyi and social commerce platform operator Xiaohongshu. Applications filed by the likes of Alibaba, Tencent and ByteDance were still pending review by the regulator, according to information from Chinese business registration tracking platform Qichacha.
The recent action taken by China’s intellectual property regulator showed a deliberate strategy to deal with the rush of metaverse-related applications, while preventing trademark squatting and misunderstanding among consumers, according to a person inside the agency who declined to be named on Monday.
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