Alibaba joins Tencent in rush to register metaverse trademarks as Big Tech embraces the virtual world

Alibaba is the latest among a host of Chinese tech companies that have shown interest in technologies that enable experiences in the virtual world. Virtual and augmented reality startups in China have received major investments in recent weeks. — SCMP

E-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding has filed to register several trademarks related to “metaverse”, joining fellow Chinese tech firms such as Tencent Holdings in exploring opportunities in a virtual world that has been termed the next iteration of the internet.

Alibaba, owner of the South China Morning Post, recently submitted applications to trademark the Chinese terms for “Ali Metaverse”, “Taobao Metaverse” and “DingDing Metaverse”, according to business registration tracking platform Qichacha. Taobao is the name of Alibaba’s flagship online marketplace, while DingTalk is the company’s chat app.