Polymarket Parent Files for ‘$POLY’ Trademark; Token Odds Hit 71%

Blockratize Inc., the parent company of Polymarket, has filed trademark applications for “POLY” and “$POLY” with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). The filings, submitted on February 4, 2026, appear under serial numbers 99637026 and 99637043, explicitly covering cryptocurrency trading services and digital tokens.

Both applications were filed on an “intent to use” basis. In intellectual property law, this designation signals a company has a bona fide intention to use the mark in commerce, moving beyond mere defensive squatting. The move immediately repriced market expectations for the long-rumored asset.

The Market Reaction

Prediction markets, Polymarket’s own product, responded instantly. The contract for “Polymarket token by 2026” surged, pricing in a 71% probability of a token launch before year’s end. This reflects a sharp increase in confidence compared to Q4 2025, when regulatory uncertainty capped optimistic wagers.

Traders are treating the trademark filing as the technical precursor to a Token Generation Event (TGE). Historical precedent supports this view: similar filings from protocols like Hyperliquid and Blast preceded their respective airdrops by approximately 1-3 months.

“There will be a token, there will be an airdrop… We could have launched a token whenever.”, Matthew Modabber, Polymarket CMO (October 2025)

Institutional Context: The Regulated Route

The timing aligns with Polymarket’s strategic pivot toward compliance. Following a massive $2 billion investment round led by Intercontinental Exchange (ICE), the parent company of the NYSE, in late 2025, the platform has prioritized a regulated U.S. relaunch.

CMO Matthew Modabber previously stated the token would follow the U.S. product rollout, framing it as a utility instrument rather than a simple governance vote. The involvement of ICE suggests any token launch will likely be structured to withstand intense SEC scrutiny, potentially differentiating $POLY from purely offshore prediction tokens.

Airdrop Speculation

With monthly volumes regularly exceeding $2 billion, the distribution criteria remain the primary open question. Community speculation currently centers on three eligibility vectors:

• Historical Volume: Rewarding long-term liquidity providers who stuck with the platform post-2022 CFTC enforcement.
• Profitability (PnL): A meritocratic tier for successful forecasters.
• U.S. Compliance: Potential bonuses for users who verify via the upcoming regulated interface.

Blockratize Inc. has not released an official timeline. The trademark examination process typically takes three to six months, though a launch can technically occur while the application is pending.