News of this development has proven especially bullish for SHIBA INU. On Wednesday, the memecoin had surged by 13% in the space of 24 hours — gaining 60% in a seven-day timeframe.
McDonald's has filed a flurry of trademark applications that suggest it is planning to build in the metaverse.
Papers submitted to the U.S. Patents and Trademark Office indicate the fast food chain is interested in "operating a virtual restaurant featuring actual and virtual goods" — not to mention one that offers home delivery.
Inevitably, non-fungible tokens are also thrown into the mix, with a trademark application for "virtual food and beverage products" — with downloadable files containing artwork, text, audio and video.
McDonald's has yet to make a formal announcement — and of course, trademark applications aren't always acted upon.
Last month, Walmart made similar filings — indicating it wanted to create virtual versions of everything from electronics and furniture to toys and household essentials. But as journalists started to pick up on the news, a spokesperson dampened speculation by saying:
"Walmart is continuously exploring how emerging technologies may shape future shopping experiences. We don't have anything further to share today, but it's worth noting we routinely file trademark applications as part of the innovation process."
McDonald's has explored the world of NFTs before — launching collectibles to commemorate the return of the McRib in the U.S. The company's French division also created retro digital art of popular products including the Big Mac and Chicken McNuggets. And last year, McDonald's China celebrated 31 years since its first restaurant opened on the mainland by unveiling the "Big Mac Cube," with 188 NFTs shared among consumers and employees.
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SHIBA INU Enters Metaverse, Too
In other news, SHIBA INU has also announced that it plans to launch its own metaverse offering this month — vowing to "lead the sector" with its as-yet-unnamed project.
Users will be able to purchase virtual plots of land within the ecosystem, much like in The Sandbox and Decentraland — and preferential access is being offered to those who hold the LEASH token.
News of this development has proven especially bullish for SHIBA INU. On Wednesday, the memecoin had surged by 13% in the space of 24 hours — gaining 60% in a seven-day timeframe. This meant SHIB was comfortably outperforming other major cryptocurrencies.
LEASH — otherwise known as "DOGE Killer" — has also rallied hard. The token's price had accelerated by 44% in a 24-hour timeframe, hitting highs of $1,934.87 at one point.
The metaverse remains something of an abstract concept and a bit of a high-risk investment. Businesses are collectively pouring billions of dollars into building their own virtual worlds, or establishing a presence in others, yet it remains to be seen which platforms will stand the test of time.
Its arrival has also established new problems — with Meta recently announcing that it would establish a minimum distance of 4ft between avatars following reports of harassment.
Vivek Sharma — a vice president of Horizon, one of Meta's divisions — said the Personal Boundary feature will be activated by default, but users would be able to tweak their settings in the future. He added:
"We believe Personal Boundary is a powerful example of how VR has the potential to help people interact comfortably. It's an important step, and there's still much more work to be done. We'll continue to test and explore new ways to help people feel comfortable in VR."
