Samsung plans to obtain UK trademark for smartphone crypto wallet

  • The filing was submitted by Samsung to the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) of the United Kingdom on December 27.
  • The move reinforces claims made by reports earlier in the month that cryptocurrency integration was on the electronics manufacturer's agenda.
Samsung, the South Korean smartphone & consumer electronics manufacturing giant, has reportedly filed a trademark petition to the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) of the United Kingdom suggesting that it is planning to incorporate a cryptocurrency wallet in its smartphones. The filing, that was submitted to the IPO on the December 27, 2018, backs reports which claimed earlier in the month that cryptocurrency integration is on the electronics giant's agenda. According to a report, the company is also planning to rollout a cryptocurrency wallet by implementing it into its upcoming Samsung Galaxy S10 smartphone. Though the company has not explicitly announced the feature, Samsung's interest in decentralized technologies from blockchain exploration to track shipments to developing mining equipment have made it apparent that the company intends to branch out into the domain. Titled the Samsung Crypto Wallet, the trademark filing numbered UK00003363431 does not divulge any further details regarding the alleged smartphone crypto wallet, but the trademark filing's title is unambiguous enough to confirm speculations. The filing has reportedly raised two major questions for users of cryptocurrency: is the company developing an integrated smartphone wallet or a standalone crypto wallet? and has the trademark petition been filed offensively or defensively? i.e. is the firm actually aiming to develop a device over the upcoming years. For the record, filing trademarks is a common industry practice where companies regularly register trademarks & file patents with no real intention of bringing all of them into the market by developing a product. According to reports, the IPO has approved the company's Samsung Crypto Wallet trademark application.