LG Expands Blockchain Ambitions With Food Ledger and Crypto Trademark

LG Corporation, the South Korean electronics conglomerate, may be expanding its blockchain initiatives.

On July 2, the firm filed a trademark application on that describes an electronic wallet that may contain capabilities for cryptocurrency. Additionally, LG CNS, the firm’s IT subsidiary, announced that it will add food distribution services to it’s Monachain distributed ledger, according to ZDnet. While a registration doesn't define a company's strategy it is an interesting insight in the electronics giant's future plans.

Through a partnership with IT service provider SayIT, LG intends to track food being served in Korean school cafeterias. The service will provide transparent access to "production, processing, distribution, acquisition, and consumption" data for agricultural products.

The firm said the initiative is aimed at improving students' health, and will collaborate with local governments to make the data publicly available.

LG CNS began developing its blockchain in 2017 using R3’s distributed ledger software, Corda.

Electronic Wallet

ThinQ Wallet, registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, will provide transaction, brokerage, and settlement services for a number of devices including mobile phones and computers.

The registration also lists use cases for blockchain, cryptocurrency, and the “issuance of cyber money,” though the majority of listed applications involve traditional credit and banking services.

ThinQ is a trademark currently used by LG to indicate products integrated with AI.

LG has successfully tested a number of blockchain applications in the past two years.

The firm designed a pilot in September for a blockchain-based international payments mobile service under its cellular carrier LG Uplus. In June, LG signed on with pharmaceutical firm Celltrion and UnionBank to council the Klaytn blockchain launched by South Korean messaging app giant Kakao.

The company did not respond to a request for comment.

LG logo via Shutterstock