According to records submitted to the United States Patent and Trademark Office, or USPTO, on June 7 and June 8, the Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of Arizona State University filed seven applications for variations of its name — ASU, Arizona State, Arizona State University — as well as that of its football team, the Sun Devils, to be used in a virtual environment. The trademark filings included the university’s name as well as the Sun Devils’ pitchfork symbol and logo for use in “virtual environments in which users can interact for recreational, leisure or entertainment purposes” as well as for educational purposes.

Arizona State University has big plans for the metaverse and Web3.Per USPTO filings made on June 7th, @ASU plans to offer:1. NFTs for event tickets and artwork of campus landmarks.2. NFTs for video of sports highlights.2. Classes in a "virtual environment."#ASU #ForksUp pic.twitter.com/PPR89Cu4B2

For its Fall 2021 semester, ASU reported 77,881 students were enrolled at physical campuses in the U.S. states, while 57,848 people attended through ‘digital immersion’. It’s unclear whether the university’s potential move into the metaverse may have been prompted by having more than 42% of its enrolled students in online classes. ASU senior director of strategic learner and program mobilization Casey Evans said digital immersion coursework was the schools “best tool to enable students to continue learning during this time of physical separation,” likely referring to the ongoing pandemic.

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The trademark filings also