During one of my recent sessions perusing current news related to cannabis legal issues, I came across a press release that I think warrants a bit of discussion. I’m always wary of self-promoting press releases, but they can provide some good entertainment and, in this case, blog fodder. The particular press release that will provide […]

Perhaps the most exciting announcement in the world of celebrity cannabis companies came last week with the announcement of Martha Stewart’s new line of hemp-derived CBD products, which include tinctures, soft gels, and “pâte des fruit.” The products are manufactured and sold through Canadian company Canopy Growth Corporation, which also produces Snoop Dogg’s cannabis brand […]

Last month, my colleague Alison Malsbury reported on the trademark infringement lawsuit filed by Colorado-based Veritas Fine Cannabis (“VFC”) against Florida-based Veritas Farms. In her post covering the initiation of the lawsuit, Alison explains why the current legal landscape forces plaintiffs in such cases to rely on a two-part strategy of obtaining 1) state trademark […]

We’ve written previously not only about the challenges faced by Stanley Brothers Social Enterprises (and the other related “Charlotte’s Web” companies), but also about the different challenges faced by CBD companies. Some of these posts can be found below: Is Hemp CBD Really Unlawful in California? The FDA Issues Hemp-CBD Warning Letters and a Consumer […]

On July 22, 2020, Clint Eastwood filed two separate lawsuits in federal court in Los Angeles against three CBD manufacturers and marketing companies that posted fabricated online articles falsely claiming that Eastwood endorsed CBD products, as well as ten online CBD retailers that allegedly manipulated search results to make it appear that he had endorsed […]

Over the last couple of years, our firm has seen a massive uptick in cannabis-related trademark litigation, and have handled many of these disputes on behalf of our clients, both as stand-alone matters and in conjunction with partnership disputes. Here are a few of the trademark disputes we’ve covered recently (our blog archives are full […]

Almost exactly a year ago, I wrote about the uptick in cannabis business suing one another for trademark infringement (as opposed to non-cannabis companies suing cannabis companies, which happens a lot and which you can read about here, here, and here). The example at hand was the litigation between Harvest Dispensaries Cultivation & Production Facilities, […]

Earlier this month the Canadian Federal Court handed retail toy store Toys “R” Us a victory in its trademark lawsuit alleging “depreciation of goodwill,” among other causes of action including trademark infringement and “passing off,” against B.C., Canada-based dispensary, Herbs “R” Us. For reference, the two logos can be seen here:   Toys “R” Us […]

For over a year my colleague Jihee Ahn, an experienced intellectual property litigator, has tracked the first-ever cannabis patent infringement case United Cannabis Corporation v. Pure Hemp Collective Inc. (You can read about extraction, prior art, the Alice test, and claim construction process  here, here,  here, here). Recently she wrote about the anti-climactic end to […]

Our last update on the first-ever cannabis patent case, United Cannabis Corporation (“UCANN”) v. Pure Hemp Collective, Inc. (“Pure Hemp”) was back in July 2019. A lot has changed in the world since then (although the case was largely unremarkable), and the possible ending to this once-deemed “pivotal” case for the industry may now face […]