Our cannabis attorneys are often asked by media, clients, and other professionals working in the hemp and CBD marketplace what we think will be the next “big issue” in this developing industry. Often these questions concern regulatory and compliance questions, as (most) companies are keen to mitigate risk and avoid running afoul of state and
Weedmaps, a major online pot shop directory and cannabis marketplace, announced last week that it will finally no longer allow black-market businesses to advertise on its site. Weedmaps’ announcement follows months of complaints from licensed cannabis businesses of harm caused by Weedmaps’ inclusion of ads for unlicensed companies – namely, that allowing such companies’ product
Thank you to everyone who joined us for the “The Top 12 Alternative Dispute Resolution Strategies” webinar last week. We received a ton of questions on a lot of really interesting topics, and we will be spending the next few weeks addressing those we couldn’t fully get to during the one-hour period. We received a
Just a few weeks ago, Curaleaf Holdings (“Curaleaf”) announced that it would pay $875 million, mostly in stock, to acquire a Chicago based cannabis company, Grassroots. (See here.) This followed news in May that Curaleaf had reached a nearly $1 billion all-stock deal with one of Oregon’s biggest cannabis companies, Cura Partners, Inc. (See here).
We’ve followed and written extensively about trademark litigation in the cannabis space for the last several years, which you can read about here: UPS Sues Multiple Cannabis Delivery Companies for Trademark Infringement The “Tiger Hemp Beer” Case: Clear Your Cannabis Trademarks Before Filing Yet ANOTHER Cannabis Trademark Infringement Case: Tapatio Foods Files Suit What NOT
Recently, William J. McNichol, Jr., Adjunct Professor at Rutgers University School of Law, wrote an article regarding the enforcement of cannabis patents that should definitely be discussed. As we’ve noted starting last summer, we expect to see an increasing number of patent infringement cases. We’ve also been providing updates on the very first patent infringement
We frequently write on hemp litigation and the ways farmers and purchasers can mitigate the risks inherent in this new industry. Along with others, we have stressed the importance of strategic and careful thinking before entering into a hemp-related contract. Our cannabis lawyers frequently write and speak on these and related topics. A couple of
Since 2014 we’ve cautioned investors about publicly traded marijuana stocks. Back then we cautioned would-be investors about “pot companies that are trading at frothy levels that are not well-positioned to compete in the marijuana marketplace.” More recently, we’ve written about the scale of mergers, acquisitions, and cross border work, how to “raise money right," and
A split decision decided last Thursday, May 30, by the Second Circuit Court of Appeals reflects a lack of patience with U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) when it comes to DEA's handling of petitions to remove marijuana from the list of most dangerous drugs. As most of our readers likely know, the Schedule of Controlled
We’ve referenced the Trademark Trial and Appeals Board (TTAB) in numerous posts related to protecting your cannabis trademarks, but many clients come to me unaware of the functions of the TTAB. This post will give a basic rundown of what the TTAB does, and what the trademark opposition process looks like. This process is something
