Mitigating and Addressing Litigation Risks for Cannabis Businesses
Cannabis M&A: Pain Points and Opportunities
Cannabis Law Now Podcast: Cannabis Companies and the Corporate Transparency Act
Intellectual property considerations for launching new cannabis products
Unpacking the current cannabis regulatory landscape and how it impacts your business
Cannabis Law Now Podcast: Inside a Top MSO with Jushi's EVP of Legal Affairs Matt Leeth
Managing Employee Compliance in Highly Regulated Industries — Hiring to Firing Podcast
If Cannabis Is Reclassified, What Will Happen to the Marketplace? – Diagnosing Health Care
Cannabis Law Now Podcast: Farmers First According to Humboldt Trim Company
Cannabis Law Now Podcast: THC Infused Beverages: Cantrip's Journey Through the Hemp-Derived Looking Glass
Cannabis Law Now Podcast: Cannabis Investing in the U.S. - The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Cannabis Law Now Podcast: Catalyst Cannabis Takes on the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration Over Cannabis Excise Taxes
Cannabis Law Now Podcast: Cannabis Banking from the Inside: An Interview with Salal Credit Union
Cannabis Law Now Podcast: The ‘CannaBoies' Lawsuit and Why it Matters
Budding Regulations: Navigating the Cannabis Regulatory Landscape — Regulatory Oversight Podcast
Chronic Payments: Unraveling the Complexities of Cannabis Banking — Payments Pros: The Payments Law Podcast
The Presumption of Innocence Podcast: Episode 27 - Blazing Trails: Cannabis Law in the Garden State
Cannabis and Bankruptcy Laws
A Changed Legal Landscape? Analyzing California’s New Cannabis Laws
Obtaining a Recreational Marijuana License from Your Local Municipality
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
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
To help New York cannabis industry entrepreneurs get their businesses off on the right foot, VS's New York team created an eight-part series of VS Insights to assist in navigating the path to applying for a New York cannabis...more
Looking to start a cannabis business in New York? To help you prepare, VS’s New York team created an eight-part series of VS Insights to assist in navigating the path to applying for a New York cannabis business license....more
So, you decided to start a cannabis business in New York. With the release of more license categories on the horizon, it’s an exciting and hectic time. To help you prepare, VS’s New York team created an eight-part...more
When Fame is the Name of the Game - As of the third quarter of 2021, Swedish music streaming company SPOTIFY boasted 381 million monthly active users worldwide – significantly more than the population of the entire United...more
Happy New Year! We’re excited to share the January 2022 issue of Sterne Kessler's MarkIt to Market® newsletter in a newly updated format. This month’s articles discuss the Pantone Color Institute's 2022 Color of the Year –...more
Why would a small cannabis dispensary choose to plaster the fictional character Borat on its billboard – without asking permission? This misjudgment resulted in a $9 million lawsuit; but it’s not an isolated incident. In...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
In an industry that runs on innovation and differentiation, a cannabis brand’s identity is among its most valuable—and most prone to copying—assets. It’s a common myth that cannabis industry brands cannot get trademark...more
On January 1, 2020, the recreational use of marijuana will be legal under Illinois law. With the formal enactment of the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act, it is expected that numerous new companies will be gearing up to enter...more
Retailers generally appreciate that their brands are among their most valuable assets. But it can be challenging for them to know how current trademark law will affect their selection, registration, and enforcement of those...more
Brand owners seeking to register cannabis-related trademarks take note: the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) recently issued guidance regarding the effects of the 2018 Farm Bill on the registration of trademarks for...more
What do UPS and TAPATIO hot sauce have in common? Based on recent California Court filings, both companies are serious about protecting their trademarks from infringement by entities in the cannabis space. In 2019, both...more
The number of states legalizing medicinal and recreational marijuana use continues to rise. According to CNNMoney, legal pot is now a multi-billion dollar industry in the US. In order to weed out the competition, these...more
Canada continues the march towards legal recreational “adult use” cannabis, recently publishing federal regulations affecting producers and others within the thriving industry. These include the Cannabis Regulations,...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
After an unpredictable few weeks, Bill C-45, the Cannabis Act, received Royal Assent on June 21, 2018, and adult use cannabis will be legal in Canada as of October 17, 2018. Canada will be only the second country in the world...more
The Canadian federal government is moving quickly towards legalizing the possession and consumption of cannabis for recreational purposes. However, Canada’s cannabis industry is already “overgrown” with many licensed (and...more
All brands should strive to be unique. However, it is particularly important that businesses in competitive industries, like the cannabis industry, adopt brands that are highly distinctive and unique. Why? In competitive...more
Brand protection for companies engaged in marijuana-related businesses continues to present special challenges given the federal prohibition on the sale, distribution, and possession of marijuana under the Controlled...more