Settlement reached between Gorilla Glue Co. and cannabis company in trademark infringement suit
A trademark infringement lawsuit between an adhesive company and a cannabis business recently reached a settlement which will phase the “Gorilla Glue” name out from the cannabis business’s inventory.
The lawsuit was filed by the Gorilla Glue Co. and claimed GG Strains LLC, a cannabis company, was unfairly using their product’s name as a cannabis strain. The cannabis company formerly marketed strains like Gorilla Glue #1, #4 and #5 to consumers and made the High Times’ 2016 list of top ten cannabis strains.
Under the final settlement agreement, GG Strains and its licensees will have to transition away from strain names, gorilla imagery and similarities to Gorilla Glue Co. trademarks by Sept. 19, 2018, and will also transfer ownership of GorillaGlue4.com to the Gorilla Glue Co. by Jan 1, 2020.
The settlement did not involve any monetary interactions between the firms and both companies felt positive about the reached settlement. Ross Johnson, a founder of GG strains, estimated the dispute and rebranding will cost the cannabis company around $250,000.
“I hope that other industry participants will respect these companies’ resolution of the matter,” Johnson said. “I can’t comment specifically on Gorilla Glue’s future activities, but it has invested a great deal in the Gorilla Glue brand. It means a lot to the company and its stakeholders, and it would be a good bet that the company intends to protect its rights in that brand.”