Update: In the July 17 Seattle Weekly, Village Voice Media employee Steve Elliott again failed to alert his readers to a possible trademark conflict that Grape Ape Sky High Soda might have with Time Warner, the owners of Hanna-Barbera productions, who produced the The Great Grape Ape Show animated cartoon from 1975-1978. Featuring the same ape that’s on the label of pot soda! On the soda label the ape is wearing a pot-leaf t-shirt. How original and classy and against copyright and trademark law. Good luck fighting one of the largest media corporations in the world on that one.
Grape Ape Sky High Soda (left, photo ©Seattle Weekly) and the art they stole (right) from a giant media corporation that will eventually ask them to stop disrespecting their intellectual property.
Previously:
In the July 3, 2012 Seattle Weekly Marijuana journalist Steve Elliott reviews Mom’s Best Mix (Mom’s Best (Cannabis) Mix: Chex It Out, Man), which he calls a “chex mix.” Mom’s Best Mix looks a little sloppy – it comes in a Zip-Loc baggie and has a laser-printed label. However – nowhere on the label does it say anything about Chex, which are a registered trademark of Ralston Purina Inc, a giant multinational corporation that would frown upon the use of the word “Chex” in any product containing cannabis.
Village Voice Media employee and medical pot enthusiast Steve Elliott.
And Mom’s Best Mix does appear to contain Chex. Steve allegedly does not care enough to mention details like this. This is another cookie-cutter review that does a disservice to the cannabis community. Who is regulating medibles? Are there any trademark or copyright considerations involved with soaking other people’s snack foods with pot oil and re-selling them? To find out you’ll have to look elsewhere.
Mom’s Best Mix
We hope the folks at Mom’s get their packaging in order and maybe reconsider what kind of products they want to market so they can be ready to compete in a world where honest and informed product reviews prevail. Ah, and that world is coming soon the world of legal, recreational marijuana.
So, when someone is unfamiliar with trademark law… we totally piss on everything they do. What do you know of cell phone technology? CDMA vs GSM and burst transmission in particular? Do you know a lot about COLTs or Cells on Light Trucks that are deployed during emergencies? No well I’m sorry sir, you’re unqualified to write this article! >.> Wasting my time!
Zombie Dan: Getting your intellectual property in order is an important part of running any business, and businesses that don’t understand that might just be some fly-by-night, less-than-trustworthy scam artists.
Steve is a stand-up guy.
Grind your axe somewhere else.
Waaahhhhhh waaaahhhh wahhhhh! Cry me a river, who cares!? This has no significence to medical cannabis patients.
Steve is awesome man. One of the best writers and voices of our time. Truly courageous, glad to be friends with him on facebook!!! I hate when people become petty in order to try to make someone else look bad! Go find a nice lady and take her out to dinner.
Pathetic, I’m talking about you Viva.
In an era of changing winds about all things marijuana, it depresses me and astound me that you find “trademark legalities” as a pressing issue. HAVE you looked around lately? Have you read any of the Nov legalization initiatives now on ballots in three states? Perhaps took a readers glimpse of what this looks like after legalization? I really feel your talent is best used elsewhere. No one pays attention to negative, it does no one is this movement any good. Grow up and stop the petty whining.
The writer of this post leaves me confused. Is this site for or against the use of medical cannabis? After reading this, it looks like the writer intends nothing more than to create even more red tape for medical patients. As if we don’t have enough already. WTF?
Merry: the writer wants I-502 to pass so that pot is legal, and that should end the red tape for medical cannabis patients. Uh, yeah – buying pot in the store without a “green card” will certainly eliminate some red tape.
Really? Is the cannabis news desk so slow these days that they have nothing better to do than bash another columnist?
Until the cease and desist letters from Ralston Purina go out to Mom’s , there is no news here.
Get on topic or get a job, nuff said…
Brian, we have lots of different sections at nwbud.com for various topics.
Trademark my a**. This is one of the worst and most rediculous articles I have ever read on NW bud.
Steve is an outstanding guy…. i have the feeling the author is a little butthurt about something…