While in January he was reticent on the subject of NFTs, Kanye West filed applications for 17 trademarks related to NFTs and the metaverse on May 27.
A change of heart regarding NFTs
Kanye West seems to have changed his mind about Web3 and non-fungible tokens (NFTs). Back in January, the rapper, producer and fashion designer shared an image on Instagram of a handwritten note written on white paper: “Don’t ask me to do a fucking NFT”. Before adding at the bottom: ‘Ask me later’.
Despite this mood swing, he now seems to have changed his mind, based on trademark applications filed with the US Patent and Trademark Office.
Kanye West’s Mascot Holdings filed 17 trademark applications with the US authority on 27 May. Some of these trademarks mention the terms “non-fungible assets”, referring to NFTs, and “metaverse experiences”.
One of the applications is for the ability to “provide an online marketplace for buyers of collectibles, currencies, tokens, and cryptographic and digital assets”.
US trademark attorney Josh Gerben, founder of Gerben Intellectual Property who has filed over 7,000 trademarks on behalf of his clients, discovered the filings and tweeted about them:
Kanye West has filed 17 new trademark applications around his YEEZUS name.
The filings indicate an intent to launch YEEZUS-branded amusement parks, NFT’s, toys and more. KanyeWest pic.twitter.com/bI7RkA1Pk3
– Josh Gerben (@JoshGerben) June 1, 2022
As the lawyer points out, all of the claims are for the use of the trademark YEEZUS, which was the name of the rapper’s 2013 album as well as the name of one of his tours.
Is Kanye West preparing his own crypto and NFT exchange platform named Yeezus? We’ll know soon enough.
Trademark demands still very unclear
While this may spark curiosity among many fans of the rapper and crypto, it’s not yet clear what the purpose behind these trademark filings is. Unfortunately, the applications contain only very brief descriptions of potential product offerings and give no details about the types of NFTs Kanye West might pursue or the type of metaverse experiences he might offer.
The applications also cover a wide range of potential products outside the crypto space, including clothing, video games, retail shops, theme parks, cosmetics, and more.
American rappers are interested in Web3
If Kanye West is interested in joining the Web3 field with NFTs and the metaverse, it’s probably because other prominent American rappers are already interested.
Snoop Dogg, for example, has released numerous NFTs and has collaborated with The Sandbox, a metaverse based on the Ethereum blockchain. He also wants to make the famous American label Death Row, founded by Dr Dre, the first label for NFTs and the metaverse.
Snoop Dogg also claims to be the pseudonym of Cozomo de’ Medici, a collector of valuable NFTs.
Last January, the famous rapper Eminem bought an NFT from the Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) collection for $450,000.
Nas is another American rapper to have taken an early interest in this universe: he was an early investor in Coinbase and has published musical NFTs via the Royal platform.
