| Serial Number | 98896900 |
| Word Mark | VI WURA |
| Filing Date | Wednesday, December 11, 2024 |
| Status | 641 - NON-FINAL ACTION - MAILED |
| Status Date | Tuesday, January 13, 2026 |
| Registration Number | 0000000 |
| Registration Date | NOT AVAILABLE |
| Mark Drawing | 4 - Illustration: Drawing with word(s) / letter(s) / number(s) in Block form |
| Published for Opposition Date | NOT AVAILABLE |
| Goods and Services | Marketing, advertising and promotion services; promoting the goods and services of others via computer and communication networks; digital advertising services; influencer marketing services; advertising and promotional services featuring a virtual influencer for promoting goods and services of third parties; online influencer marketing services through social media platforms; advertising services, namely, promotion of brands, products, and services of individuals, businesses and nonprofit organizations using virtual influencer content; advertising and marketing services provided by means of indirect methods of marketing communications, namely, social media, search engine marketing, inquiry marketing, internet marketing, mobile marketing, social media marketing and other forms of passive, sharable or viral communications channels; advertising services, namely, connecting brand owners and advertisers with content creators, social media influencers and participating audiences on social media networks; business consulting services in the nature of conducting influencer marketing campaigns for others; organisation, operation and management of customer loyalty schemes, namely, administration of a customer loyalty program which provides free or discounted goods and services to subscribers; organisation, operation and supervision of sales and promotional incentive schemes, namely, distribution of advertising flyers, coupons, catalogs and promotional items of others; the bringing together, for the benefit of others, of clothing, cosmetics, furniture, household goods, and electronics, excluding the transport thereof, enabling customers to conveniently view and purchase those goods and services, including such services provided online from a computer database, the internet or other electronic networks; provision of online platforms for the sale and purchase of goods and services, namely, online retail store services featuring a wide variety of consumer goods; providing an online marketplace for buyers and sellers of goods and services; arranging and conducting of exhibitions for business purposes; business management, organization consulting, and administration; providing office functions |
| Goods and Services | Financial services in the nature of financial consultancy services, online financial planning services; monetary exchange operations; banking services; remittance services, namely, money transfers from one customer's account to another customer's account; provision of electronic and online financial services, namely electronic fund transfer services and secure online monetary transaction facilities in the nature of providing secure commercial transactions and payment options; providing an internet website portal in the field of financial transaction and payment processing services; processing financial transactions via a global computer network in the nature of clearing and reconciling financial transactions via a global computer network; providing multiple payment options by means of customer-operated electronic terminals available onsite in retail stores; financial sponsorship of sports competitions, educational foundations and charitable foundations; issuing pre-paid vouchers exchangeable for goods or services as reward for customer loyalty; providing cash and other rebates for credit card use as part of a customer loyalty program; credit card services in the nature of credit card payment processing services; charge card payment processing services; pre-paid purchase card services, namely, processing electronic payments made through prepaid cards; providing financial transaction services for purchasing or trading virtual influencer-related digital assets, in the nature of cryptocurrency payment processing; insurance services, namely, writing property and casualty insurance |
| Goods and Services | Design and development of computer hardware and software; software engineering services; providing temporary use of on-line non-downloadable cloud computing software for use in database management, use in electronic storage of data; cloud-based data protection services, namely, providing temporary use of on-line non-downloadable cloud computing software for use in restricting access to electronic storage of data; consultancy services in the field of cloud computing; application service provider, namely, hosting, managing, developing, analyzing, and maintaining applications, software and web sites of others in the fields of wireless communication, mobile information access and remote data management for wireless delivery of content to handheld computers, laptops and mobile electronic devices; providing temporary use of online non-downloadable software and applications for creating, modifying, and sharing image files of virtual goods; providing an online network service that features technology that enables users to transfer and share personal identity data among multiple online facilities; providing temporary use of online non-downloadable e-commerce software to allow users to perform electronic business transactions via a global computer network; software as a service (SAAS) services in the nature of hosting cloud-based software of others; technology consultation in the field of artificial intelligence (AI); software as a service (SAAS) services featuring software using artificial intelligence (AI) for use in software development, machine learning, facial and speech recognition providing non-downloadable computer software development tools in the field of artificial intelligence; consultancy in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) technology; design and development of software and AI systems for virtual influencers; development and maintenance of virtual influencer websites and online platforms for third parties; technology related to developing virtual influencers in the nature of computer technology support services, namely, help desk services; providing online non-downloadable computer software platforms for creating and operating virtual influencers in the nature of avatars; artificial intelligence as a service (AIAAS) featuring software using artificial intelligence for maintaining and operating virtual influencers in the nature of avatars; hosting on-line web facilities for others for sharing online digital and virtual content featuring virtual influencers |
| Goods and Services | Educational services in the nature of learning centers featuring instruction in the field of fashion, beauty, lifestyle, travel and telecommunications; providing online training in the field of fashion, beauty, lifestyle, travel and telecommunications; organizing community sporting and cultural events; Entertainment services in the nature of organizing social entertainment events; entertainment services in the nature of virtual influencer performances, namely, simulated live performances by avatars in virtual worlds for entertainment purposes; entertainment and educational content provided by virtual influencers, namely, simulated live performances by avatars in virtual worlds for entertainment purposes; entertainment services in the nature of production of multimedia entertainment content featuring virtual influencers namely, simulated live performances by avatars in virtual worlds; entertainment services in the nature of creation of multimedia entertainment content also featuring educational content ; entertainment services, namely, digital appearances by a fictional character in a movie, television show, video game, or vlog; fashion modelling by virtual human for entertainment purposes; organisation of fashion shows and parades for entertainment purposes; entertainment services, namely, providing video podcasts and vlogs in the fields of fashion, beauty and lifestyle; electronic publishing services, namely, publication of text and graphic works of others on the internet featuring fashion, beauty, lifestyle, travel and telecommunications; publishing of reviews; publication services through web-blogs and other social media platforms, namely, publication of on-line electronic newsletters, blogs, journals, articles, social media posts in the fields of fashion, beauty, lifestyle, travel and telecommunications; publishing podcasts; publication of texts, other than publicity texts; providing audio or video studio services; organizing exhibitions in the fields of film for cultural or educational purposes, film production and providing audio or video studio services; production of entertainment in the form of film, television, radio and video shows relating to fashion, travel and food |
| Translation of Words in Mark | The English translation of WURA in the mark is "golden". The wording VI has no meaning in a foreign language. |
| Goods and Services | Electrical and electronic telecommunications and communications apparatus and instruments in the nature of apparatus for transmission of communication, microphones, telecommunications transmitters; data communication apparatus and instruments, namely, portable electronic devices to access the Internet wirelessly in the nature of in the nature of wireless communication devices for voice, data or image transmission, mobile phones, laptops, modems and routers; aerials and antennas for telecommunications; digital media, namely, downloadable multimedia files containing artwork, text, audio, video, games, and Internet Web links relating to fashion, beauty, lifestyle, travel, and telecommunications; downloadable multimedia files containing still images, graphics, artwork, text, hypertext, audio and video featuring fashion, beauty, lifestyle, travel, and telecommunications content; downloadable multimedia content, including videos, images, and sound recordings featuring a virtual influencer in the nature of downloadable digital image files of avatars, downloadable chatbot software using artificial intelligence (AI) for providing recommendations in the field of fashion, beauty, lifestyle, travel and telecommunications; downloadable electronic newsletters in the field of fashion, beauty, lifestyle, travel and telecommunications; downloadable electronic game programs; downloadable multimedia files containing audio and video files featuring a virtual influencer in the nature of an avatar with prerecorded responses; downloadable ring tones; data processing equipment, namely, calculating machines and computers; computers and computer peripheral devices; blank digital storage media; downloadable software for interacting with and customising virtual influencer avatars in virtual environments; downloadable mobile applications, namely, gaming software for virtual customization of avatars, computer chatbot software for simulating conversations featuring virtual influencer-generated content; recorded computer software for use as an application programming interface (API); downloadable computer chatbot software for replying to questions from online retail store customers related to consumer goods, and making recommendation and content in the field of fashion, beauty, lifestyle, travel and telecommunications; downloadable communication software for providing access to the Internet; downloadable computer software using artificial intelligence (AI) for use in software development, machine learning, facial and speech recognition, in the field of fashion, beauty, lifestyle, travel, and telecommunications; downloadable virtual reality game software featuring software for creating virtual influencers in the nature of avatars and for playing computer games in virtual reality applications; downloadable computer application software for voice, data and image transmission and for sharing information on social media, all for use on cellular telephones, handheld electronic devices, and wireless devices; downloadable computer software for financial management and planning, account aggregation and budgeting; recorded computer software and hardware for use in computer-aided software engineering sold as a unit; downloadable virtual and augmented reality training simulation software in the field of fashion, beauty, lifestyle, travel and telecommunications; downloadable computer application software for connecting, operating, and managing social media content in the Internet of Things (IoT) ; IoT gateways, namely, gateway routers; downloadable computer programs using artificial intelligence and machine learning to develop predictive models; downloadable computer programs using artificial intelligence in the field of online advertising, namely, creating advertising layouts; downloadable computer programs using artificial intelligence and machine learning to predict the performance of algorithms; downloadable computer programs using artificial intelligence (AI) for machine learning; downloadable software for machine learning for use in creating computer advertising programs that create advertising content, collect data for use in the creation of advertising content, place advertisements on websites for others; downloadable image and video files of virtual influencers in the nature of avatars and avatars authenticated by non-fungible tokens (NFTs); magnetically encoded credit and debit cards; blank smart cards; hologram apparatus; external computer hard drives for storing information, data, images and sound; sunglasses |
| International Class | 009 - Scientific, nautical, surveying, photographic, cinematographic, optical, weighing, measuring, signalling, checking (supervision), life-saving and teaching apparatus and instruments; apparatus and instruments for conducting, switching, transforming, accumulating, regulating or controlling electricity; apparatus for recording, transmission or reproduction of sound or images; magnetic data carriers, recording discs; automatic vending machines and mechanisms for coin operated apparatus; cash registers, calculating machines, data processing equipment and computers; fire extinguishing apparatus. |
| US Class Codes | 021, 023, 026, 036, 038 |
| Class Status Code | 6 - Active |
| Class Status Date | Wednesday, December 11, 2024 |
| Primary Code | 009 |
| First Use Anywhere Date | NOT AVAILABLE |
| First Use In Commerce Date | NOT AVAILABLE |
| International Class | 035 - Advertising; business management; business administration; office functions. |
| US Class Codes | 100, 101, 102 |
| Class Status Code | 6 - Active |
| Class Status Date | Wednesday, December 11, 2024 |
| Primary Code | 035 |
| First Use Anywhere Date | NOT AVAILABLE |
| First Use In Commerce Date | NOT AVAILABLE |
| International Class | 036 - Insurance; financial affairs; monetary affairs; real estate affairs. |
| US Class Codes | 100, 101, 102 |
| Class Status Code | 6 - Active |
| Class Status Date | Wednesday, December 11, 2024 |
| Primary Code | 036 |
| First Use Anywhere Date | NOT AVAILABLE |
| First Use In Commerce Date | NOT AVAILABLE |
| International Class | 041 - Education; providing of training; entertainment; sporting and cultural activities. |
| US Class Codes | 100, 101, 107 |
| Class Status Code | 6 - Active |
| Class Status Date | Wednesday, December 11, 2024 |
| Primary Code | 041 |
| First Use Anywhere Date | NOT AVAILABLE |
| First Use In Commerce Date | NOT AVAILABLE |
| International Class | 042 - Scientific and technological services and research and design relating thereto; industrial analysis and research services; design and development of computer hardware and software. |
| US Class Codes | 100, 101 |
| Class Status Code | 6 - Active |
| Class Status Date | Wednesday, December 11, 2024 |
| Primary Code | 042 |
| First Use Anywhere Date | NOT AVAILABLE |
| First Use In Commerce Date | NOT AVAILABLE |
| Party Name | MTN Group Management Services (Pty) Ltd |
| Party Type | 10 - Original Applicant |
| Legal Entity Type | 82 - NOT AVAILABLE |
| Address | Gauteng 2195 ZA |
| Event Date | Event Description |
| Wednesday, December 11, 2024 | NEW APPLICATION ENTERED |
| Sunday, April 27, 2025 | NEW APPLICATION OFFICE SUPPLIED DATA ENTERED |
| Monday, May 12, 2025 | ASSIGNED TO EXAMINER |
| Tuesday, May 20, 2025 | NON-FINAL ACTION WRITTEN |
| Tuesday, May 20, 2025 | NON-FINAL ACTION E-MAILED |
| Tuesday, May 20, 2025 | NOTIFICATION OF NON-FINAL ACTION E-MAILED |
| Wednesday, August 20, 2025 | APPLICATION EXTENSION TO RESPONSE PERIOD - RECEIVED |
| Wednesday, August 20, 2025 | APPLICATION EXTENSION GRANTED/RECEIPT PROVIDED |
| Thursday, November 20, 2025 | TEAS RESPONSE TO OFFICE ACTION RECEIVED |
| Thursday, November 20, 2025 | CORRESPONDENCE RECEIVED IN LAW OFFICE |
| Thursday, November 20, 2025 | TEAS/EMAIL CORRESPONDENCE ENTERED |
| Tuesday, January 13, 2026 | NON-FINAL ACTION WRITTEN |
| Tuesday, January 13, 2026 | NON-FINAL ACTION E-MAILED |
| Tuesday, January 13, 2026 | NOTIFICATION OF NON-FINAL ACTION E-MAILED |
| Tuesday, January 13, 2026 | NON-FINAL ACTION WRITTEN |
| Tuesday, January 13, 2026 | NON-FINAL ACTION E-MAILED |
| Tuesday, January 13, 2026 | NOTIFICATION OF NON-FINAL ACTION E-MAILED |