The DEA Is Knocking at Your Door . . . Are You Prepared? – Diagnosing Health Care
If Cannabis Is Reclassified, What Will Happen to the Marketplace? – Diagnosing Health Care
Cannabis Law Now Podcast: What’s Next for Schedule III Marijuana
Podcast - DEA Plants the Seed for Rescheduling Marijuana: What's Next?
The Presumption of Innocence Podcast: Special Edition | Episode 36 - Rolling Change: The DEA Turns Over a New Leaf on Marijuana Scheduling
Cannabis Law Now Podcast: THC Infused Beverages: Cantrip's Journey Through the Hemp-Derived Looking Glass
Cannabis Law Now Podcast: The ‘CannaBoies' Lawsuit and Why it Matters
Law of the Land? Cannabis, Preemption, and SCOTUS [More with McGlinchey Ep. 37]
[Podcast] Virginia Seeks to Become the Next State to Decriminalize Possession of Psychedelic Mushrooms
Minor Cannabinoids: Exploring the Science, Legality, & Opportunities
A history of the decline and rise of the marijuana empire
Canna We Talk Cannabis? Emerging Topics in Cannabis Law
2019 Cannabis & Co: Addressing Cannabis in the Workplace (Part 2) - Proposition 64
Podcast: Non-binding Guidance: FDA’s Regulation of Products Containing CBD
Part 1 of 2: The Impact of Marijuana for Employers
The Ninth Circuit issued two opinions in BBK Tobacco & Foods LLP v. Central Coast Agriculture, Inc. finding judicial power over pending trademark applications and an exception shielding trademark registrations for marks used...more
Based on recent events, it seems likely marijuana will be rescheduled under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) sometime this year. While many industry experts have discussed the impacts in recent months, many questions still...more
Republic Technologies (NA) LLC (“Republic”) filed an application to register the proposed mark 4:20 with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”). Republic amended its goods twice during prosecution of the...more
Apologies for the cannabis puns in the title, but they are required by law. Okay, you are correct. That is not true. But it is true that trademark protection is important for individuals in the cannabis industry. Earlier this...more
With more individuals and businesses entering the cannabis sector, there has been an increased interest in what kind of trademark protections a cannabis business can obtain. This article seeks to briefly cover what in the...more
A recent lawsuit alleging trademark infringement by AmerikanWeed illustrates the importance of protecting intellectual property in the cannabis industry. Complaint at 9-10, Palmer, et al. v. Komm et al., No. 21-2-13589-3 SEA...more
Recently, we published an article regarding the increasing viability of cannabis related patents. See here. Sadly, the story is the opposite for federal trademarks. Last month, National Concessions Group, Inc. (“NCG”) was...more
In a precedential decision earlier this month, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board upheld refusals to register two trademarks owned by National Concessions Group Inc. (“National”) on the ground that the goods – essential oil...more
Thank you for reading the May 2023 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter. This month, we discuss Taco Bell's attempt to cancel two TACO TUESDAY trademark registrations, and a precedential TTAB decision...more
Can I get a trademark, copyright, or patent for Cannabis-related products? Maybe. Individuals and businesses crave certainty. With every emerging area of law; however, comes a certain degree of uncertainty. ...more
With the list of states that have legalized adult-use cannabis continuing to grow, businesses are entering the industry at a rapid pace. However, one of the biggest questions facing these businesses is how to develop and...more
The September 2021 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter discusses a recent non-precedential Trademark Trial and Appeal Board decision regarding intent-to-use applications covering CBD products currently...more
It has been two years since the federal “Farm Bill” removed hemp from the definition of marijuana, rendering cannabis plants and derivatives (such as CBD derived from hemp) that contain no more than 0.3% of THC on a...more
On September 25, 2020, the TTAB issued a non-precedential decision summarily rejecting an applicant’s attack against an examining attorney’s refusal to register the mark NATURAL LEAF CBD LIVE BETTER NATURALLY & Design for use...more
This article discusses the global developments for the registration of cannabis and cannabis-related trademarks in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the European Union....more
Companies entering into the emerging market for medical and recreational marijuana products and services will face unique challenges when attempting to protect trademarks. Such challenges include brand protection in states...more
Unlike patents and copyrights, obtaining a federally registered trademark requires (among other things) that applicants abide by the “lawful” use in commerce requirement. In other words, the United States Patent and Trademark...more
Legalizing “hemp” under the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018 (2018 Farm Bill) has triggered an important change for the examination of federal trademark applications concerning cannabis and cannabis-derived goods and...more
In recent years, it has been difficult for cannabis companies to develop and protect consistent and comprehensive brands on a nationwide basis, due to the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office’s (“USPTO’s”) refusal of federal...more
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office ("USPTO") generally refuses to register marks that violate federal law. Hemp and hemp-derived CBD were previously classified as Schedule I controlled substances under the Controlled...more
On May 2, 2019, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issued "Examination Guide 1-19 - Examination of Marks for Cannabis and Cannabis Related Goods and Services after Enactment of the 2018 Farm Bill" (Guidance),...more
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO or Office) issued an examination guide on Friday, May 2, 2019, regarding the examination of trademarks for cannabis and cannabis-related goods and services after the...more
Trademark practitioners, hemp producers, and hemp-derived product manufacturers have long struggled with the clash of federal and state law regarding protection of trademarks with the United States Patent and Trademark Office...more
Following the enactment of the 2018 Farm Bill [see related article1], the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) just this morning released a new Trademark Examination Guide for marks covering cannabis and...more
Cannabidiol (commonly referred to as "CBD") has been in the news for several years now, due to its touted health and wellness benefits. This is especially the case since the Agricultural Act of 2018, or AIA, became law in...more