Like Nike, Adidas and many others, the Authentic Brands Group (ABG) is staking out a claim in the metaverse. As Footwear News reports, ABG and the retired NBA player Shaquille O’Neal filed three trademark applications in December for the word “SHAQ” as applied to non-downloadable virtual footwear, clothing, headwear and eyewear. O’Neal owns the second-largest stake in ABG, which manages his branded merchandise.
ABG has filed trademark applications also for the iconic magazine Sports Illustrated – which began within Henry Luce’s Time-Life empire and was sold to ABG in 2019 – as well as two other names the group owns the rights for: Elvis Presley and Muhammad Ali.
Another recent ABG acquisition, the fashion retailer Forever 21, has entered into a partnership with the metaverse creation company Virtual Brand Group, enabling customers to buy and sell its merchandise and customize their own stores on the game platform Roblox.
According to Josh Gerben, a trademark attorney with Gerben Law, ABG’s existing brand registrations do not extend into the virtual world, “because virtual goods was not a thing” until recently. “No one really thought that you might need protection on something like this.”
