Qualcomm, Nike, Playboy: the news from the metaverses
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Since Facebook announced its Meta, many companies – from startups to SMEs and tech giants – are jumping into metaverse-related projects, including Qualcomm, Nike, and Playboy.
Qualcomm invests in the metaverse
Nasdaq-listed Qualcomm announced that it opened Extended Reality (XR) Labs in Europe to develop advanced hand tracking and gesture control, 3D mapping and location services, multiplayer experiences, and image recognition.
All obviously focused on developing the technology for use in the metaverse.
Enrico Salvatori, President of Qualcomm Europe, explained:
“The opportunities for XR are significant. Combine that with Europe’s rich R&D and leadership in XR and we see the XR labs in Europe as being a big contributor to XR development worldwide. Brilliant minds are already working at speed to realize our vision of XR and bring a plethora of revolutionary experiences to everyone from consumers, healthcare and industrial. These labs join our already significant R&D presence in Europe.”
Metaverse and lawsuits: Nike v. StockX
Streetwear retailer StockX has built a system whereby users purchase NFTs that can then be redeemed for physical goods in the real world, including sneakers from the Nike brand, which it now claims constitute infringement, trademark dilution, and false designation origin, among other violations.
For this reason, the company has filed a lawsuit against StockX. This case is reminiscent of a similar infringement involving Hermes, which sued the creator of MetaBirkin.
Playboy relaunches in the metaverse
The historic Playboy magazine has announced that it plans to reboot its brand in the digital world through NFTs and beyond. The company also wants to launch its own digital subscriptions and a new villa in the metaverse.
As explained during an interview with CNBC, Playboy wants to drop thousands of avatars in the form of a bunny (the brand’s logo) and create a metaverse to keep up with new technologies.
“The magazine was one product of the company. But it was really that rabbit head that’s worth billions and billions of dollars and not replicable,”
Playboy CEO Ben Kohn told CNBC in a recent interview.
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