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
As the prospect of federal rescheduling of cannabis looms, some in the industry are seemingly attempting to preserve their spot in line at the United States Patent and Trademark Office. A recent Trademark Trial and Appeal...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
On May 3, 2023, the federal Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (the “TTAB”)—the entity responsible for handling disputes over the issuance of trademarks on a nationwide level—issued a precedential opinion in In re National...more
Although commercial use of a trademark alone triggers rights in a mark, wise business owners endeavor to take advantage of the added benefits and protections conveyed by federal registration. One of the most important...more
Thank you for reading the April 2022 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter. This month, we discuss two ongoing administrative legal challenges to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's policies on...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
On July 14, 2021, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, together with Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden and Senator Cory Booker, released a discussion draft of the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act (the...more
[co-author: Richa Patel, Summer Associate] The July 2021 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter discusses fluid trademarks and the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act. Plus, check out the answer key...more
On the heels of a year beset by turmoil and the myriad challenges caused by the global pandemic, the cannabis industry nevertheless entered 2021 poised for significant growth amid a landscape teeming with opportunity. Public...more
The cannabis industry is growing in leaps and bounds, but entrepreneurs interested in developing cannabis companies – as well as business people interested in investing in them – must make certain that they know what they are...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
Products containing cannabidiol (“CBD”), a compound derived from cannabis, are part of a growing market that some analysts have projected will reach over $2.3 billion by 2022. CBD products—from gummy bears and pet products to...more
The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (“TTAB”) reiterated once again that you cannot register marijuana marks at the federal level. The TTAB announced its decision on July 16, 2019, rejecting Canopy Growth Corporation’s, a...more
In a case affecting the fast-growing legal cannabis industry, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (“TTAB” or “Board”) affirmed the United States Patent and Trademark Office’s (“USPTO”) refusal to register two trademarks for...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
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
The United States Patent and Trademark Office will now allow federal trademark registration for marks used on some hemp-based products, including those containing hemp-derived CBD, except for foods, beverages, dietary...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
In a previous Legal Alert, we covered the removal of one impediment to federal trademark registration for hemp/CBD products: namely, that hemp/CBD products will no longer be outlawed by the Controlled Substances Act and will...more
In almost every industry, businesses expend significant capital and resources to develop their brand, which, although intangible, is often the most valuable piece of property a business owns....more
A fog of uncertainty surrounds regulations in the marijuana industry. At the federal level, the plant is still a Schedule 1 substance under the Controlled Substances Act and, therefore, federally illegal to possess, sell, and...more
Recently, Oklahoma joined the ranks of the 30 states that have legalized medical marijuana, but the state still has work to do on just how to implement its new law. As usual, the devil is in the details. Even though Oklahoma...more
Whether operating in states that allow medical marijuana like Arizona or in states that allow it both medically and recreationally like Colorado, business owners in the marijuana industry want to protect their brands just...more