Mike Kondoudis, licensed trademark attorney at the USPTO, on Tuesday revealed that someone has filed a trademark for “Bitcoin Bank America” with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The trademark is for crypto exchange services in the U.S.
A Bitcoin Bank America in the US?
Mike Kondoudis, licensed trademark attorney at the USPTO, in a tweet on January 3 said someone has registered “Bitcoin Bank America” for crypto exchange services.
He believes Bank of America might have a trademark dispute with the recent application. The registration may conflict with Bank of America’s plans to offer crypto services in the future.
“It looks like Bank of America might have a trademark battle on its hands! Someone has registered BITCOIN BANK AMERICA for crypto exchange services. This registration seems relevant to B of A’s crypto plans.”
According to the USPTO data, the registration date for the trademark is December 27 and the application filing date is January 3. It also revealed that no claim is made to the exclusive right to use the name apart from the mark “Bitcoin Bank”.
Some believe the use of only “Bitcoin Bank” will work and block BofA from winning a trademark dispute. Although, the use of phase “Bank America” does create an avenue for a valid attempt at infringement.
America’s largest bank JPMorgan recently registered a trademark for “J.P. Morgan Wallet.” The bank is now positioned to offer crypto services to its existing customers. Other financial services giants such as American Express, Mastercard, and HSBC have filed trademarks for offering crypto-related services to clients.
Bank of America has also filed patents related to blockchain and crypto services. In fact, Bank of America has been looking into cryptocurrencies for years and filed patents for crypto-based wire transfers, a crypto exchange system, and a digital currency wallet.
Source: https://coingape.com/has-bofa-filed-for-bitcoin-bank-america-trademark-with-uspto/