Walmart Files Trademark for ‘MARTY’ — Likely Name for Its Agentic AI Shopping Assistant

By Josh Gerben, Esq.

Published: June 3, 2025 Published: June 3, 2025

Walmart may have just revealed the name of its upcoming AI-powered shopping assistant: Marty.

On June 2nd, the retail giant filed a trademark application for ‘MARTY.’

The filing comes just days after Walmart publicly detailed its efforts to build an “Agentic AI” — artificial intelligence agents designed to help customers shop better and more efficiently at Walmart stores.

In the trademark application, Walmart claims that ‘MARTY’ will be “software featuring generative artificial intelligence and machine learning.”

From a legal perspective, this language is very broad and non-specific. Walmart’s trademark attorneys could have chosen language in the application that was more specific to an agentic AI agent.

Why didn’t they?

It could be that the technology is so new and the exact uses are so unspecified that the company just wanted to get a broad application filed and will follow up later with a supplemental application that gets into more specifics. On the other hand, the lack of details could have been an attempt to “hide the ball” and prevent the public from finding out the name of the agentic AI until a formal announcement was ready.

So, why would Walmart file the application if it was not yet ready to announce the name? The filing date of any trademark application creates a federal priority date for the trademark owner. In other words, Walmart’s nationwide protection in the name ‘MARTY’ starts on the day it filed the application (which, in this case, is now June 2, 2025). 

If the company had waited to file the application (and thus hide the name from public view), another company could have filed in the meantime, cutting off Walmart’s ability to use the name. Therefore, making the trademark filing as soon as the name was decided upon is a critical move to protect the name. 

According to a recent press release from Walmart, its agentic AI aims to power a new generation of digital shopping assistants trained to provide personalized, real-time support throughout the customer journey. From item comparisons to deep personalization and order completion, the AI agents are being developed to help customers find exactly what they need, whether it’s sunscreen on a sunny day or a last-minute dinner ingredient.

The trademark application signals Walmart’s intent to brand this technology — a strategic move as it competes with other retail giants racing to deploy AI to assist with customer experience.

So the next time you’re shopping on Walmart.com, don’t be surprised if Marty is there to help.

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Josh Gerben, Esq.

Josh Gerben, Esq. is a nationally recognized trademark attorney and the founder of Gerben IP. Since launching the firm in 2008, he has overseen the registration of over 10,000 trademarks and handled over 1,500 trademark disputes. Josh's practice focuses on building and defending global trademark portfolios for clients. These clients include entrepreneurs, private equity-backed businesses, athletes, celebrities, and public companies. Frequently quoted by major media outlets like CNBC, CNN, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal, Josh is widely regarded as a leading authority in trademark law.