Legal Insights

USPTO trademark registrations are an important way for cannabis companies to protect and grow their brands nationally.  While cannabis companies still cannot register trademarks that identify goods or services related to manufacturing, distributing, dispensing, and possessing cannabis and cannabis-based preparations because cannabis, and its psychoactive component, Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), remain classified as Schedule I controlled substances under the federal Controlled Substances

On July 1, 2021, when the State of Virginia’s and the State of Connecticut’s cannabis legalization took effect , 18 states across the nation had legalized adult-use cannabis. With positive momentum on states legalizing recreational cannabis, as well as clear and repeated assertions from Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), it’s not farfetched to assume that nationwide legalization is on

As the COVID-19 pandemic sends shockwaves through society and impacts all businesses–including those in the cannabis and hemp industries–in countless ways, trademarks often take a back seat to more pressing concerns. Recognizing that trademarks nonetheless remain crucial assets of many businesses, the federal government recently took action in a way that stands to affect trademark matters for many cannabis and hemp

As the cannabis industry grows and evolves, building a recognizable brand will become increasingly important. Strong and well-respected brand identities will help cannabis companies distinguish themselves from their competitors.  Because of this, trademarks (the intellectual property constituting a brand and its related goodwill) will undoubtedly become some of the most valuable assets owned by successful cannabis companies.   As trademarks gain

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (“USPTO”) has long refused to register trademarks and service marks for goods and/or services that violated federal law, regardless of the legality of the activities under state law. (See generally Trademark Manual of Examining Procedure (TMEP) §907.) As many cannabis and hemp brands know, this restriction made securing federal trademark protection a challenging

Domain names represent one of the most important, yet often overlooked, components of any cannabis company’s branding efforts. At a basic level, domain names allow consumers to find websites through easy-to-recall names (e.g. “www.rogowaylaw.com”) rather than the all-numeric IP addresses (such as “192.0.34.65”) assigned to each computer on the Internet. Each domain name is made up of a series of

What Qualifies for a Copyright? Copyright is a form of intellectual property that grants the creator of an original work the exclusive right to determine whether, and under what conditions, this original work may be used by others. Under US law, copyright protection exists “in original works of authorship fixed in any tangible medium of expression, now known or later