Cannacurio: Licensing knowledge from the brand suit for edible arrangements

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Much has been reported of a trademark lawsuit between Edible Arrangements and Green Thumb Industries. There was no mention in the articles we reviewed that Edible Arrangements’ subsidiaries hold at least 16 licenses for hemp.

Edible arrangements have a long history of defending their intellectual property. It’s no surprise they’d do the same in the cannabis room. As MJBiz pointed out, the fact that GTI’s products are made from marijuana doesn’t matter, argues the complaint, “because cannabis-related products are within the zone of natural expansion of (edible arrangements), such as the expansion of Edible actually shows on marijuana sales of cannabidiol (CBD) products in retail stores (edible arrangements). “In a November 2019 press release, the company indicated its plans to add new hemp-based CBD products to the Dallas-Fort Worth market. By the end of the year, in-store purchases are to be made at 200 additional locations across the country.

Cannabiz Media has been pursuing licenses for over five years and everyone in the industry knows these are very valuable assets. A lot of effort and energy is put into keeping the licenses and their staff in compliance so that the asset is not compromised or worse, revoked! Intellectual property is obviously a valuable asset to any business – and the cannabis industry has had some problems trying to use mainstream brands like Gorilla Glue, Girl Scout Cookies, and others to promote a specific strain or product. Here is our approach to branding strategy from two years ago.

Why is that interesting?

We think the licensing history for edible arrangements is helpful. Based on our research, the company has 16 licenses. This includes 14 retail locations in Florida:

The company also has a subsidiary licensed for hemp cultivation and manufacturing in Connecticut under the Incredible Edibles brand.

Conclusion

It is unclear who will prevail in this lawsuit. The company has invested to build its brand equity and even holds some licenses. Harris Bricken offers a detailed analysis that suggests that edible arrangements might find it difficult to win this case – and that it might work out. We’ll keep an eye on the licenses and follow up on the case.

Cannabiz Media customers can stay up to date on these and other new licenses through our newsletter, alert and reporting modules. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive these weekly reports in your inbox. You can also schedule a demo for more information on how to access the Cannabiz Media License Database yourself to delve further into this data.

‍Cannacurio is a weekly column from Cannabiz Media that offers insights into the most comprehensive license data platform. Check out Cannacurio posts and podcasts for the latest updates and information.