Business
Toys R Us Goes After Weed Dispensary Called Buds R Us
Toys R Us goes after weed dispensary Buds R Us, which is located in Detroit, Michigan. The toy company said the dispensary is violating intellectual property.
Corporations continue to target cannabis companies for similar branding. Most recently, Toys R Us goes after weed dispensary Buds R Us. The dispensaries logo features a giraffe in a car with a fat cone joint hanging out of his mouth. The small business is surprised Toys R Us would come after them.
Toys R Us vs. Buds R Us
Fox 2 Detroit
The owner of Buds R Us received a letter last week from Blank Rome, counselors at law.
The letter states that he infringed on Toys R Us’ intellectual property with the name of his dispensary and the logo which looks like Geoffrey the Giraffe smoking weed.
“I thought it was a joke to tell you the truth, like really Toys R Us coming at us, we’re just a small business out here,” he said.
Unfortunately, the letter is a reality for Buds R Us and any other cannabis company using branding that is similar to other popular names and logos.
Employees believe the business should have had no impact on Toys R Us. They just thought the giraffe smoking a joint would be funny to their customers.
“I think that with the tongue and cheek understanding of the logo, I don’t think anybody is going to confuse the two companies,” said Paul Tylenda, Buds R Us’ attorney.
“I don’t think it’s that big of a deal if we switch up our name and we got a couple ideas in the works so I don’t think it’ll be a problem,” the owner said.
For other companies with products in several dispensaries getting sued over intellectual property is a bigger deal.
Cannabis Companies Sued Over Intellectual Property
Buds R Us isn’t the first small business in the cannabis industry to receive a letter over intellectual property.
The makers of weed strains are getting sued for names like Girl Scout Cookies and Gorilla Glue. Both companies abbreviated the names to avoid further legal action taken against them.
Before that, their strains had to be taken off the shelves of dispensaries. After rebranding, you can find GSC or GG#4 at your local dispensary but not the full names.
Any cannabis business using similar branding to a popular non-cannabis company will likely be served a similar letter.
Cannabis businesses are starting to receive equal treatment but not in the ways they hoped.
They still can’t take their money to federal banks like other businesses. As a result, most operate as cash-only businesses. However, they’re still expected to strictly follow copyright infringement laws.
Final Hit: Toys R Us Goes After Weed Dispensary Buds R Us
Toys R Us goes after weed dispensary Buds R Us forcing them to consider changing names. Future business owners looking to enter the cannabis industry should be conscious of copyright infringement laws.
