Mercedes-Benz Hints at Metaverse, NFT Plans in Trademark Filing

Mercedes may join Lamborghini among automakers competing for metaverse space

December 20, 2022 06:24 pm

DALL-E modified by Blockworks

The latest automotive business with moves in the metaverse is German company Mercedes-Benz Group AG.

The company has recently filed for five metaverse and NFT-related trademark applications with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

The five applications for “Mercedes Benz, Mercedes, S-Class, G-Class, and Maybach” establish trademark protection for any future NFT collections, marketplaces for NFTs and virtual vehicle parts as well as to enable cryptocurrency trading.

Newsletter

Subscribe to The Breakdown

One trademark filing for the company’s “Maybach” model described plans for “crypto-collectibles” featuring digital or physical animal furs, blankets, carpets, rugs and mats.

Another filing for its “S-Class” model said it may have “audio recordings, video recordings, image files, music, and multimedia files containing artwork, text, audio, images, or video featuring collectible items authenticated by NFTs.”

These NFTs “featuring digital art” or a “representing a collectible item,” according to the applications, are “for use in online virtual worlds” in reference to metaverse platforms.

This isn’t Mercedes’ first foray with blockchain, as it has already tested out implementing the technology to ensure consistent documentation of contracts along the supply chain.

Earlier this year, Mercedes subsidiary Daimler South East Asia developed a blockchain-based data-sharing platform built on Polygon. The platform allows users to exchange data such as insurance information or clinical trials with other businesses.

Additionally, the company’s Formula One Racing team Mercedes-AMG Petronas had a partnership with crypto exchange FTX. It suspended the sponsorship and removed the FTX logo from race cars after its Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing in November.

Mercedes-AMG Petronas and FTX had also released a line of NFTs collectibles for the Miami Grand Prix, with free-to-claim limited edition ticket stubs for the race on the now-defunct FTX NFT marketplace.

Get the news in your inbox. Explore Blockworks newsletters:

The Breakdown: Decoding crypto and the markets. Daily.
0xResearch: Alpha in your inbox. Think like an analyst.

Tags

Newsletter

The Breakdown

Decoding crypto and the markets. Daily, with Byron Gilliam.

Upcoming Events

Digital Asset Summit 2026

Javits Center North | 445 11th Ave

Tues - Thurs, March 24 - 26, 2026

Blockworks’ Digital Asset Summit (DAS) will feature conversations between the builders, allocators, and legislators who will shape the trajectory of the digital asset ecosystem in the US and abroad.

buy tickets learn more

recent research

Research

Kinetiq Protocol: From LST Infrastructure to HIP-3 Deployer

Kinetiq has established itself as Hyperliquid's dominant liquid staking protocol, holding 82.5% of LST market share with $610M in TVL. The protocol is now expanding beyond its kHYPE staking core into higher take-rate verticals: iHYPE for institutional custody rails, Launch for HIP-3 capital formation, and Markets for builder-deployed perpetuals. We view Markets, launching Jan. 12, as the highest-potential product line given its mechanically scalable, activity-linked unit economics. Near-term revenue remains anchored by kHYPE's KIP-2 fee schedule (~$1.6M annualized), while Markets provides embedded optionality if HIP-3 economics normalize post-Growth Mode. KNTQ's setup is relatively clean: zero insider unlocks until November 2026, 6.2% buyback yield from staking revenue, and cleared airdrop overhang. Risks center on unproven Markets execution, declining kHYPE TVL despite ongoing incentives, and competition from Hyperliquid's native initiatives.

by Shaunda Devens