Aside from being one of the most proclaimed rappers of the 90’s – Snoop Dogg is notoriously known for his obsession with the Cannabis plant. Few know the leaps and bounds the rapper has made on the commerce side of Cannabis. With deals ranging from Canopy Growth (TSX: WEED) (NYSE: CGC) for exclusive rights to Snoop’s brand Leafs by Snoop, all the way to his venture capital fund LBC Holdings. Snoop Dogg has been quite literally smoking the competition.
Snoop Dogg’s venture capital fund, raised $45 million before closing to new investors and is actively looking for Series A investments in the ancillary cannabis space. This is a way of saying that the fund is looking to write checks of $1 million+ to put towards up-and-coming Cannabis companies that don’t deal with the actual plant directly. Snoop plans to invest an additional $3 million – $5 million back into a limited number of his most successful seed ventures.
Recent headlines, however, seem to shed some light on trademark issues that Calvin Broadus Jr., (Snoop Dogg) is having with one of his brands. The issue involves allegations of trademark infringement by the Toronto Maple Leafs. In 2016 TSN acquired documents from the Canadian trademarks office outlining Snoops alleged infringement. Leafs by Snoop’s logo consists of white lettering over top of a seven-pronged leaf, with a font that is similar to the Toronto Maple Leafs’ logo.
The independent revealed court documents where the Maple Leafs are claiming confusion against his logo, in relation to their mark. This means that the general public could find the two similar and essentially purchase Snoops products as a result. In many similar cases, we see courts (at the very worst) cease revenue under current branding to be awarded to the plaintiff.
As shown below, the applicant’s design mark uses a white font enclosed within a wide-shaped leaf with three large segments at the top of the mark, a design echoing and highly similar to the ‘Maple Leafs’ design marks. Currently, there has been no public statement from either side on the subject. Snoop’s products are available across Canada and include soft gel capsules, cannabis oil and whole flower including strains of THC and CBD.
The logo itself appears to have been created by the Pentagram design firm. “The challenge was creating a brand that captured Snoop’s unique personality and style,” reads the firms website. The Godfather of Rap himself is no stranger to the business world and seems to remain unintimidated by the challenge. Only time will tell if Snoop will be able to hold onto the logo. What do you think about the similarities? Do you believe Leafs by Snoop is infringing on the Toronto Maple Leaf’s logo?
Image source: Vancourier.com
Stay connected to the story and happy investing!
Contributor
Alexander Simonelli
Read Other Celebrity Cannabis Articles
Mike Tyson’s 40-Acre Tyson Ranch
Wiz Khalifa is Taking Over the Cannabis Game
Read more WEED news & articles
Continue Reading
Read all our featured articles here
Read Cannabis industry articles here
The Cannabis Investor is a leading media outlet for Cannabis investment opportunities and breaking industry news.
Join our text message list:
USA: Text potstocks to 313131 to join
CDN: Text potstocks to 393939 to join
Join our email list here: http://eepurl.com/bUSa71
Follow The Cannabis Investor on Social Media
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MMJInvestor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecannabisinvestor/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-cannabis-investor/
StockTwits: https://stocktwits.com/TheCannabisInvestor