Get ready to see those big brown trucks rumbling down the virtual streets of the metaverse.
Atlanta-based shipping behemoth United Parcel Service Inc. (NYSE: UPS) submitted several trademark filings to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office that indicate it plans to join the metaverse. The filings are for goods and services including "non-fungible tokens" (NFTs); "virtual goods, namely, packages, parcels, [and] shipping labels;" and "virtual retail shipping."
The company — which is Louisville's largest employer — submitted individual filings for "United Parcel Service," "UPS," "The UPS Store," and multiple logos.
The metaverse is a growing collection of interconnected virtual reality and digital platforms with online personas, real estate and businesses. People can log in and interact, similar to a multiplayer video game.
Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook parent company Meta Technologies Inc. (Nasdaq: FB), brought the metaverse to the forefront of public consciousness last year when he introduced his vision for a virtual world. Zuckerberg changed his company's name to reflect what he thought was the future of interpersonal interaction.
Earlier this year, the Atlanta Braves announced plans to become the first Major League Baseball team to join the metaverse. Truist Park and the surrounding Battery Atlanta development will have metaverse doppelgängers that allow fans to explore the areas through their computers.
UPS seems to be exploring ways to connect its metaverse experience with items and rewards that customers can claim in real life. The trademark filings include language for "online retail store services featuring physical and virtual merchandise for use by members of virtual environments."
The company also may be considering virtual events. UPS filed to trademark "conducting virtual trade show exhibitions online in the field of small business enterprises."
UPS Director of Media Relations Matthew O'Connor told Atlanta Business Chronicle the company is "always planning for what’s next," but he said it is "too early to determine exactly how this technology will fit into our business or commit to any specific plans."
UPS appears to be the first large delivery company with U.S. operations to trademark its metaverse existence. As of April 11, there appear to be no metaverse-related filings for Memphis, Tennessee-based FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) or Germany-based DHL, which has U.S. headquarters in Ohio.
