Next week on June 11th, I will be speaking on a panel during the Cannabis Law Sessions, which are being hosted by the National Cannabis Bar Association in conjunction with MJBizConNEXT and the Hemp Industry Daily Conference. Together with my colleagues, we will be covering a wide range of intellectual property issues faced by startups in the cannabis and hemp industries.
We plan to cover foundational IP issues, including trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, and patents, and will discuss important issues like:
- How to develop an IP strategy for your startup and how to implement an IP culture;
- What IP protection is critical for every cannabis company;
- The extent of trademark protection available for cannabis companies, as well as for hemp and CBD companies;
- How the Controlled Substances Act and the FDA limit available trademark rights;
- How cannabis-related trademark applications are prosecuted;
- How the TTAB has handled cannabis and hemp-related trademark applications;
- Tips for building a strong brand;
- State trademark protection;
- How to use copyright protection to bolster cannabis IP rights;
- IP licensing challenges;
- Trade dress;
- Patenting cannabis-related technology, including pitfalls in patent prosecution;
- How to tell whether your company has something that can be patented;
- Design patents;
- Trade secrets and implementing protocols for protecting your company’s IP;
- The differences between patent and trade secret protection.
This should be an incredibly educational panel, and I look forward to seeing all of you who will be in New Orleans next week.
