I bet Nike won’t like this.
Freename AG, one of many initiatives offering blockchain-based domain names, just filed an “interesting” trademark application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
The company wants a figurative trademark for “.swoosh”. It filed citing priority of a foreign trademark in Switzerland.
If you haven’t been following the NFT space, .swoosh is the name Nike is using for its NFT efforts. The official website for .swoosh is swoosh.nike.
This trademark application is another black mark for groups offering web3 domains. Trademark infringement in these domains is a wild west. And until these domain operators find a way to respect trademarks rather than attack them, it will be difficult to get businesses on board.
Freename previously applied for design marks for .hodl, .moon, and .airdrop.
Other web3 domain companies have tried and repeatedly failed to trademark top level domains. Trademarking logos of TLDs is possible, though.
