知识产权尽职调查：以大麻产业为例
你好，我是大岭(ID: dalingIPR)，这是我您分享IP英文的206天。今天的主题是认真的，国内工业大麻市场也很火爆。本文以大麻产业为例，很好的介绍了知识产权尽职调查的问题。
What You Should Ask About Intellectual Property Before Investing In A Cannabis Company: An IP Due Diligence Primer
April 15 2019 | Article by George E. Quillin, George C. Beck, Chase J. Brill and Yichen Liu | Foley & Lardner
The cannabis industry is the new investment frontier. Consider the capital investment by Constellation Brands in Canada's Canopy Growth, Aurora Cannabis's acquisition of Mexico's Farmaciea Magistrales, Coca-Cola's discussions with Aurora Cannabis to develop CBD infused drinks, CannaCraft and Lagunitas' co-branded launch of HiFi Hops, an IPA-inspired cannabis sparkling beverage, GUINNESS® owner Diageo's discussions to explore releasing a line of cannabis infused drinks, and Molson Coors Brewing and The Hydropothecary Corporation joint venture to develop cannabis drinks. And, with the decline of cigarette smoking, even Philip Morris is interested in the business. It is reported that other huge companies want to participate in cannabis deals, including BASF, DuPont, and Royal Dutch Shell, as well as Beau Wrigley who has invested in Suterra Wellness, a medical marijuana company with plans to enter the domestic market.
But what important assets do these cannabis companies own or control that justify an investment? In the typical investment scenario, a target's intellectual property is a key bankable asset and questions about the strength and scope of the target's intellectual property are critical. Does the company own any patented technology, and if so, are the patents valid and enforceable? How about company brands? Does the company own its brands? Where does the company stand in terms of the risk of being sued for infringement? What about employee-created intellectual property? Does the company own it? Does it matter if the deal is structured as an asset purchase or an equity transaction?
These and other intellectual property related due diligence topics are discussed below.
Trademarks
A trademark is typically (though not always) a word, phrase, symbol, sound, smell or design that uniquely identifies and distinguishes the source of goods or services. Examples of word trademarks include JUUL®, ROORTM, EPIDIOLEX® or GG4TM. A "service mark" is a mark that identifies services rather than goods, such as EAZE®, LEAFLY®, FLOWHUB®, and MASSROOTS®. The distinction between trademarks and service marks, however, is one without a difference. They function in the same way and, from a legal stand point, are treated in the same way, and the term "trademark" (or sometimes just "mark") is often used to refer to both trademarks and service marks (as is the case in this article). Similarly, "trade dress" refers to a trademark that consists of the appearance – the "look and feel" – of a product and/or its packaging, e.g., the look and feel of the PAX® vaporizer (shown below).
Trademarks are sometimes referred to as "brands" or "brand names."
Under U.S. law, one acquires a trademark simply by using it in connection with the sale or rendering of goods or services. These are called common law trademark rights. Trademarks need not be registered, but federal and/or state registration are recommended as additional rights and benefits may be acquired through such registration. Unlike in the U.S., in most foreign jurisdictions, including in the EU, China, and Mexico, and soon to be Canada, where even dried cannabis can be included in a trademark registration, trademark rights are acquired through registration, and in some cases use is not even required, thus allowing third parties to stockpile marks without commercial use. Also unlike in the U.S., in many such jurisdictions, a trademark registration acts as a defense to an infringement claim by a third party. So, it is good to obtain registrations of trademarks.
To obtain a federal trademark registration, the owner must "lawfully" use the trademark in connection with the sale of goods or services. If the sale or distribution of the trademark owners' goods or services is prohibited by federal law, the trademark use is not "lawful" for purpose of federal trademark registration. It follows that because the sale of cannabis-related products and services may not be lawful at the federal level, e.g., under the Controlled Substances Act as a Schedule I substance and The Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, it may not be possible to obtain a federal trademark registration for such goods or services. For example, the Trademark Office continues to refuse federal trademark registration for edibles containing cannabidiol (CBD) under The Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.
On the other hand, because of the recently enacted 2018 Farm Bill, extracts of hemp, such as cannabidiol, are excluded from Schedule I provided the extract contains less than 0.3 percent THC. Nevertheless, as of this writing, the Trademark Office may still reject federal trademark applications for hemp oil extracts.
State trademark registration, however, is available for cannabis related products and services in states where such
products and services are legal. For example, LIVE" is registered in the State of Colorado for cannabis and hemp extracts, oils and vape pens. In some states, such as California, trademark registration laws are in the process of being updated, e.g., though California Senate Bill 185 was just introduced.
In addition, a trademark owner can develop common law trademark rights in the markets where the products or services are sold even absent state or federal registration. Further, a trademark can be federally registered for any goods or services for which it is lawfully used, e.g., hair, skin care and food products that include hemp derived CBD, smoking accessories, apparel, cultivation tools and products, or a dispensary search service like WEEDMAPS®. For example, Roor International has obtained U.S. Registration No. 3675839 for its well-known ROOR logo (shown below) for glass pipes, bongs and water pipes.
Sometimes entities seek federal registrations for marks by "finessing" the unlawful nature of the use in a description submitted to the trademark office to avoid detection, e.g., by describing edibles merely as food products. However, even if a registration issues, the underlying use is still not "lawful" and, for that reason, the registration will ultimately be vulnerable to attack and cancellation for lack of lawful use.
When conducting due diligence of a target company's trademarks, one should look at a variety of issues, including the following:
What are the key trademarks and for what goods and in what countries are they used or contemplated to be used?
What is the key trade dress (if any)?
Where, geographically, are the trademarks used?
Are the trademarks (and trade dress) covered by any state or federal registrations?
Are the trademarks (and trade dress) covered by any international registrations?
Is the chain of title in the registrations clear (e.g., were they filed in the correct name and are any transfers clearly documented)?
Are the registrations vulnerable to attack (e.g., for lack of lawful use)?
Are any registrations being properly maintained and what maintenance costs are upcoming?
Have the trademarks been cleared for use through a formal trademark search (not just a quick Google® search)? If not, a formal search should be conducted.
Has the company been accused of infringement?
Are there co-existence or settlement agreements that restrict the company's use of its marks?
Does the company have any sponsors in place and are appropriate agreements in place?
Are any trademarks licensed in or licensed out, and if out, is quality control being maintained? Is the license really a franchise agreement?
Are packaging and labeling compliant with applicable state and federal laws? See for example the NCIA White Paper on "Recommendations for Sensible and Consistent Regulations Across States and Nations."
Does the target company have advertising injury insurance coverage?
Are state required packaging and labeling requirements being monitored and complied with, e.g., the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board regulations prohibiting the use of cartoons, bubble-type fonts, bright colors, a design or brand name that resembles a non-cannabis product that is marketed to children, symbols and celebrities that are commonly used to market to minors, and images of minors?
Has the company received any cease and desist letters? Are any of the relevant trademarks or trade dress involved in litigation and in what stage is the litigation? For example, leading water pipe manufacturer Roor International and its distributor Sream have filed numerous lawsuits due to extensive infringement of its ROORTM trademark. The owner of the Gorilla Glue® adhesive required that the name of the cannabis strain Gorilla Glue #4 change it and it was changed to GG4TM. And even more recently UPS, the shipping company owning the logo below on the left sued United Pot Smokers for using the logo on the right in connection with its cannabis product delivery services.
Copyrights
Copyright law covers original works of authorship, such as advertisements, advertising and website copy, packaging content and copy, music, sound recording, brochures, graphics and illustrations, photos, product descriptions, website content, and software. Magazines, such as High Times and Confectionary.
News, and data reporting companies, such as New Frontier Data, rely primarily on copyright law to protect their content.
Copyright rights come into existence as soon as the work in question is created and copyright rights last a very long time. It is both easy and inexpensive to apply for a federal certificate of copyright registration, and doing so is a prerequisite to filing a lawsuit for infringement. A certificate of copyright registration is also a prerequisite for obtaining recovery of attorneys' fees and certain types of damages in such a lawsuit.
In general, copyright rights originally vest in the creator of the work. The copyright rights in works created by an employee within the scope of their employment originally vest in the employer. However, in general, works created by contractors (e.g., non-employee graphic designers or consultants or advertising agencies), will originally vest in the creator of the work not the company or individual that commissioned the work and, absent a written assignment agreement, the creator not the company will remain the owner of the copyright.
When conducting due diligence of a target company's copyrights, one should look at a variety of issues, including the following:
What are the key works?
Who created those works?
Who owns the copyright in those works?
Is the chain of title to the company clean and clear?
Are logos, websites and other key advertising materials subject to copyright registrations?
Does the company have appropriate assignment agreements in place with employees, contractors, ad agencies, etc.?
Have the copyrights been timely registered?
Are copyright notices being properly used?
Is the company using third party materials or do any of its works incorporate materials created by third parties (g., music, artwork, images, photographs, etc.)? If so, does the company have appropriate permission to use materials or is it at risk for a copyright infringement claim?
Have any cease and desist letters or other demands been received and has litigation been threatened?
Patents
The term patent is a government-granted right allowing the patent owner to prohibit others from making, using, selling, and/or importing an invention for a specific period of time, usually twenty years. A utility patentable invention is "any new and useful process, machine, manufacture, or composition of matter, or any new and useful improvement thereof." Patentable inventions could include compositions such as edible or beverage form cannabis products like marijuana infused gummies, mechanical devices such as metered-dose cannabis inhalers such as SYQETM or PAX® vaporizer cartridges, home grow devices such as those marketed by Seedo, cannabis processing and extraction methods, methods of reintroducing extracted terpenes to extracts, genetically modified marijuana plants with increased oils for better flavors and enhanced highs, software, methods of manufacture, and medical processes and uses for cannabis, such as treatments for an illness such as epilepsy.
A plant patent covers a new variety of plant that can be duplicated through asexual reproduction and is not naturally occurring. Plant patent rights are available for new cannabis plant strains and varieties. These rights give the breeder the exclusive right to use, reproduce, sell, or offer for sale the plants or any of its parts, e.g., seeds, cuttings, divisions, etc.
The term patent can also refer to a "design patent," which covers the ornamental features of an article of manufacture, such as unique packaging features or the aesthetic design of a vape pen, and lasts for 14 years.
Regardless of the type of patent – utility, plant, or design – to qualify for patent protection, the subject matter must be novel, non-obvious, and not cover naturally occurring substances or an invention based upon algorithms. Patents are territorial and applications must be filed within certain statutory deadlines.
Unlike federal trademark registrations, patents need not be supported by "lawful use" and patents directed to cannabis related products and processes are regularly issued and found valid and enforceable. For example, GW Pharmaceuticals owns U.S. Patent No. 9,066,920 for a cannabis extract for epilepsy treatment. United Cannabis Corp. owns U.S. Patent No. 9,730,911 for a cannabis based extract. Axim was recently issued U.S. Patent No. 10,172,786 for a cannabidiol toothpaste claiming in part: [a] cannabinoid toothpaste composition comprising: an abrasive agent, a binder, a humectant, a fluoridating agent, a surfactant, water, a thickener, lactoferrin and cannabidiol present in an amount of 0.1% to 0.5% by weight.
In addition to patents covering cannabis formulations, patents can cover devices. For example, Juul Labs Inc. owns patents covering Pax® vaporizer devices, e.g., utility U.S. Patent No. 9,408,416 and design U.S. Patent No. D762003.
When performing due diligence of a target company's patents and technology, one should look at a variety of issues, including the following:
What technology is the company using? In addition to the technology mentioned above, consider cannabinoid receptor targeting, cannabis pharmaceutical compositions and derivatives, cannabis strains, methods of producing products including extracting, purifying and concentrating extracts, dosage forms, detection methods, etc.
Has the target company technology been timely protected under the patent laws, g., were patent applications timely filed?
Are company patents valid and enforceable – particularly an issue with broad cannabis patents as the Patent Office does not have an extensive library of prior art to use when it examines the patent application?
What is the scope of the patent claims?
When will the patents expire?
Where are they enforceable?
Is the company marking products with the patent number to facilitate a claim for damages in the event of infringement?
Is the company infringing any third party patents?
Are there any threats of patent infringement and what is the status of any pending patent infringement cases?
Trade Secrets
A trade secret is generally defined as any information, such as a customer list, formula, technique, or method of
manufacture, that has value because it is unknown to and not readily ascertainable by the general public and is the subject of reasonable efforts to maintain its secrecy. Classic trade secrets are proprietary formulations (e.g., the Coca-Cola recipe), customer and vendor lists, and methods of production and testing, such as a new process to cultivate cannabis to derive higher oil content. Indeed, the Pennsylvania Department of Health recently argued that select cannabis fertilizers and pesticides, and cannabis processing, fell under its state's trade secret laws. If kept secret, a trade secret can last forever.
The owner of a trade secret can prohibit third parties from taking and making unauthorized use of the trade secret. However, unlike patents, this protection is not absolute. For example, if a third party develops the same trade secret formula, method, or process on its own, the trade secret owner cannot stop that third party's conduct.
To maintain information as an enforceable trade secret, a company must take reasonable steps to keep the information secret. The most common way to accomplish this is to ensure that before anyone has access, or even potential access, to the information, that he or she executes a written confidentiality agreement in which they acknowledge that they will have access to trade secret information and agree not to use or disclose that information. Companies should also consider prohibiting employees from using personal computers or devices for company work and taking steps to prevent employees from copying confidential company documents and files, such as limiting access to such documents and files or limiting the ability to copy or print such documents and files.
If a company suspects trade secret misappropriation it should act quickly. Not only is there usually a statute of limitations limiting the time period during which claims may be brought, but quick action is critical to preventing unauthorized use or dissemination of the trade secret information. For example, Green Leaf Lab, LLC recently filed a lawsuit against 2 River Labs and a former employee of Green Leaf.
The former employee was alleged to be exposed to secrets of Green Leaf and also alleged to have copied Green Leaf's confidential methodologies and procedures from a Green Leaf USB drive and brought them to her new employer 2 River Labs which allegedly used them. One of the facts alleged by Green Leaf was that the former employee signed a written confidentiality agreement. In another recently filed case, My Vape Order, Inc., alleged to be a market leader in the vaping industry, accused Eric Upchurch, an independent contractor, of trade secret violations, alleging that Mr. Upchurch learned of My Vape's trade secrets related to E-juice/E-liquid formulas, and disclosed them to a third party. Again, the contractor's execution of a confidentiality agreement was a key factor in My Vape's allegations.
When conducting due diligence of a target company's trade secrets, one should look at a variety of issues, including the following:
What practices does the company have in place to safeguard its confidential information?
Does it require employees to execute confidentiality agreements? What about contractors, vendors, officers, directors, consultants, etc.?
Does it control and limit access to the trade secret information – either physically or electronically?
Does it take steps to educate employees about the importance of maintaining the secrecy of confidential information?
When the company hires employees, does it remind the employees not to bring trade secrets of their former employers to the company?
Any threats of litigation and what is the status of any pending litigation?
Obviously, Canada and shortly Mexico are players in the industry and one should appreciate that the law varies by country as well as states. Thus, the foregoing is intended as a primer for U.S. law only.
在投资大麻公司之前应该询问的知识产权：知识产权尽职调查入门
April 15 2019 | Article by George E. Quillin, George C. Beck, Chase J. Brill and Yichen Liu | Foley & Lardner
大麻产业是新的投资前沿。考虑Constellation Brands在加拿大Canopy Growth的资本投资，Aurora Cannabis收购墨西哥Farmaciea Magistrales，可口可乐与Aurora Cannabis讨论开发CBD饮料，CannaCraft和Lagunitas联合推出HiFi Hops，这是一种IPA启发的大麻起泡饮料，GUINNESS®所有者Diageo讨论发布一系列大麻饮料，以及Molson Coors Brewing和The Hydropothecary Corporation合资开发大麻饮料。而且，随着吸烟量的下降，甚至菲利普莫里斯也对这项业务感兴趣。据报道，其他大公司希望参与大麻交易，包括巴斯夫，杜邦和荷兰皇家壳牌，
但是，这些大麻公司拥有或控制哪些重要资产可以证明投资的合理性？在典型的投资场景中，目标的知识产权是关键的可融资资产，关于目标知识产权的强度和范围的问题至关重要。公司是否拥有任何专利技术，如果是，该专利是否有效且可执行？公司品牌怎么样？公司是否拥有自己的品牌？公司在被起诉侵权风险方面处于何种地位？员工创造的知识产权怎么样？公司拥有它吗？交易是否构成资产购买或股权交易是否重要？
这些和其他与知识产权相关的尽职调查主题将在下面讨论。
商标
商标通常（但并非总是）是单词，短语，符号，声音，气味或设计，唯一地标识和区分商品或服务的来源。字商标的例子包括JUUL®，ROORTM，EPIDIOLEX®或GG4TM。“服务标记”是标识服务而非货物的标记，例如EAZE®，LEAFLY®，FLOWHUB®和MASSROOTS®。然而，商标和服务商标之间的区别是没有区别的。它们以相同的方式起作用，并且从法律角度来看，以相同的方式处理，术语“商标”（或有时只是“标记”）通常用于指代商标和服务标记（如同本文中的案例）。同样，“商业外观”是指由外观 - “外观和感觉”组成的商标。。，PAX®蒸发器的外观和感觉（如下所示）。
商标有时被称为“品牌”或“品牌名称”。
根据美国法律，只需将其用于销售或提供商品或服务即可获得商标。这些被称为普通法商标权。商标无需注册，但建议进行联邦和/或州注册，因为可通过此类注册获得额外的权利和利益。与美国不同，在大多数外国司法管辖区，包括欧盟，中国和墨西哥，很快就会成为加拿大，即使干燥的大麻也可以包含在商标注册中，商标权通过注册获得，在某些情况下使用甚至不需要，因此允许第三方在没有商业用途的情况下储存商标。与美国不同，在许多此类司法管辖区，商标注册作为第三方侵权索赔的辩护理由。所以，
要获得联邦商标注册，所有者必须“合法”使用与商品或服务销售相关的商标。如果联邦法律禁止销售或分发商标所有人的商品或服务，则商标使用对于联邦商标注册而言并非“合法”。因此，由于大麻相关产品和服务的销售在联邦一级可能不合法，例如根据“受控物质法”作为附表I物质和“食品，药品和化妆品法”，可能无法获得此类商品或服务的联邦商标注册。例如，根据“食品，药品和化妆品法案”，商标局继续拒绝对含有大麻二酚（CBD）的食品进行联邦商标注册。
另一方面，由于最近颁布的2018年农业法案，大麻提取物如大麻二酚被排除在附表I之外，条件是提取物含有低于0.3％的四氢大麻酚。尽管如此，在撰写本文时，商标局仍可拒绝联邦商标申请大麻油提取物。
但是，国家商标注册适用于所在州的大麻相关产品和服务
产品和服务是合法的。例如，LIVE“在科罗拉多州注册了大麻和大麻提取物，油和vape笔。在一些州，如加利福尼亚州，商标注册法正在更新， 例如，虽然加州参议院法案185是刚刚介绍。
此外，即使没有州或联邦注册，商标所有人也可以在销售产品或服务的市场中发展普通法商标权。此外，商标可以在其合法使用的任何商品或服务上进行联邦注册，例如，头发，皮肤护理和食品，包括大麻衍生的CBD，吸烟配件，服装，栽培工具和产品，或药房搜索像WEEDMAPS®这样的服务。例如，Roor International因其着名的ROOR标识（如下所示）获得了美国注册号为3675839的玻璃管，烟枪和水管。
有时，实体通过在提交给商标局的描述中“使用”非法性质来寻求商标的联邦注册，以避免检测， 例如，通过仅将食品描述为食品。但是，即使注册发布，基础使用仍然不“合法”，因此，由于缺乏合法使用，注册最终将容易受到攻击和取消。
在对目标公司的商标进行尽职调查时，应该考虑各种问题，包括：
什么是关键商标以及使用或考虑使用哪些商品和哪些国家/地区？
什么是关键商业外观（如果有的话）？
地理位置使用的商标是什么？
商标（和商业外观）是否包含在任何州或联邦注册中？
商标（和商业外观）是否涵盖任何国际注册？
注册中的所有权链是否明确（例如，它们是否以正确的名称提交，是否有明确记录的转移）？
注册是否容易受到攻击（例如，由于缺乏合法使用）？
是否正确维护任何注册以及即将推出的维护成本？
是否通过正式的商标搜索（不仅仅是快速的Google®搜索）清除了商标？如果没有，应进行正式搜索。
该公司是否被指控侵权？
是否存在限制公司使用其商标的共存或和解协议？
公司是否有任何赞助商并且是否有适当的协议？
是否有任何商标许可或许可，如果外出，是否保持质量控制？许可证真的是特许经营协议吗？
包装和标签是否符合适用的州和联邦法律？例如，参见NCIA关于“各州和各国明智和一致的法规建议”的白皮书。
目标公司是否有广告伤害保险？
是否对国家要求的包装和标签要求进行监控和遵守，例如，华盛顿州酒和大麻委员会的规定禁止使用类似于非大麻产品的漫画，泡泡型字体，鲜艳色彩，设计或品牌名称是市场上出售给未成年人的儿童，符号和名人，以及未成年人的形象？
公司是否收到任何停止和终止信件？诉讼中涉及的任何相关商标或商业外观是否涉及诉讼？例如，领先的水管制造商Roor International及其分销商Sream因广泛侵犯其ROORTM商标而提起了多起诉讼。GorillaGlue®粘合剂的所有者要求大麻菌株Gorilla Glue＃4的名称改变它并且它改变为GG4TM。最近UPS，左侧拥有徽标的航运公司起诉United Pot Smokers，使用右侧的徽标与其大麻产品交付服务相关联。
版权
版权法涵盖作者身份的原创作品，如广告，广告和网站复制，包装内容和复制，音乐，录音，小册子，图形和插图，照片，产品说明，网站内容和软件。杂志，如High Times和 Confectionary。
新的和数据报告公司，如New Frontier Data，主要依靠版权法保护其内容。
一旦有关工作被创建并且版权权利持续很长时间，版权就会出现。申请联邦版权登记证书既简单又便宜，这样做是提起侵权诉讼的先决条件。版权登记证书也是在此类诉讼中获得律师费和某些类型损害赔偿的先决条件。
一般而言，版权主要归属于作品的创作者。雇员在其工作范围内创建的作品的版权主要归属于雇主。但是，一般而言，承包商（例如，非雇员图形设计师或顾问或广告代理商）创作的作品最初将归属于作品的创作者而非委托作品的公司或个人，并且没有书面作业协议，创作者不是公司将仍然是版权的所有者。
在对目标公司的版权进行尽职调查时，应该考虑各种问题，包括：
关键作品是什么？
谁创造了这些作品？
谁拥有这些作品的版权？
公司的所有权链是否干净清晰？
徽标，网站和其他主要广告材料是否需要进行版权注册？
公司是否与员工，承包商，广告代理商等签订了适当的转让协议？
版权是否及时注册？
版权声明是否正确使用？
公司是否使用第三方材料或其任何作品包含由第三方创建的材料（例如，音乐，艺术品，图像，照片等）？如果是这样，公司是否拥有使用材料的适当许可，或者是否存在侵犯版权的风险？
是否已收到任何停止和终止信件或其他要求，并且诉讼受到威胁？
专利
专利一词是政府授予的权利，允许专利所有人禁止他人在特定时间段（通常为20年）内制造，使用，销售和/或进口发明。实用新型专利发明是“任何新的和有用的过程，机器，制造或物质组成，或其任何新的和有用的改进。” 可专利发明可包括诸如食用或饮料形式的大麻产品如大麻注入的软糖，机械装置如计量剂量大麻吸入器如SYQETM或PAX®蒸发器盒，家用生长装置如Seedo销售的那些，大麻加工和提取的组合物。方法，将提取的萜烯重新引入提取物的方法，含有增加油脂的转基因大麻植物，以获得更好的风味和增强的高，软件，
植物专利涵盖了一种新的植物种类，可以通过无性繁殖进行复制，而不是天然存在的。植物专利权适用于新的大麻植物品种和品种。这些权利赋予育种者植物或其任何部分（例如种子，插条，分裂等）的使用，复制，销售或出售的专有权。
术语“专利”也可以指“设计专利”，其涵盖制品的装饰特征，例如独特的包装特征或vape笔的美学设计，并且持续14年。
无论专利的类型 - 实用，工厂或设计 - 有资格获得专利保护，主题必须是新颖的，非显而易见的，不包括天然存在的物质或基于算法的发明。专利属于地域，申请必须在某些法定期限内提交。
与联邦商标注册不同，专利不需要“合法使用”支持，并且针对大麻相关产品和流程的专利定期发布，并且被认为是有效和可执行的。例如，GW Pharmaceuticals拥有用于癫痫治疗的大麻提取物的美国专利号9,066,920。United Cannabis Corp.拥有美国专利No.9,730,911，用于大麻提取物。Axim最近发布了美国专利10,172,786，其中涉及一种大麻二酚牙膏，其部分主张：[a]大麻素牙膏组合物，包括：研磨剂，粘合剂，保湿剂，氟化剂，表面活性剂，水，增稠剂，乳铁蛋白和大麻二酚含量为0.1％至0.5％（重量）。
除了涵盖大麻配方的专利外，专利还可以涵盖设备。例如，Juul Labs Inc.拥有涵盖Pax®蒸发器装置的专利，例如，实用的美国专利No.9,408,416和设计的美国专利No.D762003。
在对目标公司的专利和技术进行尽职调查时，应该考虑各种问题，包括：
该公司使用什么技术？除上述技术外，还考虑大麻素受体靶向，大麻药物组合物和衍生物，大麻品系，生产产品的方法，包括提取，纯化和浓缩提取物，剂型，检测方法等。
目标公司技术是否受到专利法的及时保护，g。，专利申请是否及时提交？
公司专利是否有效且可执行 - 特别是广泛的大麻专利问题，因为专利局在审查专利申请时没有广泛的现有技术库？
专利权利要求的范围是什么？
专利什么时候到期？
它们在哪里可执行？
公司是否标记具有专利号的产品以便在发生侵权时要求赔偿？
该公司是否侵犯了第三方专利权？
是否有任何专利侵权威胁以及任何未决专利侵权案件的状态如何？
商业秘密
商业秘密通常被定义为任何信息，例如客户名单，公式，技术或方法
制造，具有价值，因为它不为公众所知并且不易被公众确定，并且是保持其保密的合理努力的主题。经典商业秘密是专有配方（例如，可口可乐配方），客户和供应商列表，以及生产和测试方法，例如培育大麻以获得更高含油量的新工艺。事实上，宾夕法尼亚州卫生部最近辩称，选择大麻肥料和杀虫剂以及大麻加工属于其国家的商业秘密法律。如果保密，商业秘密可以永远存在。
商业秘密的所有者可以禁止第三方获取和未经授权使用商业秘密。但是，与专利不同，这种保护并不是绝对的。例如，如果第三方自行开发相同的商业秘密公式，方法或流程，则商业秘密所有者不能阻止该第三方的行为。
为了将信息保持为可执行的商业秘密，公司必须采取合理的措施来保密信息。实现此目的的最常见方法是确保在任何人访问或甚至可能访问信息之前，他或她执行书面保密协议，其中他们承认他们将获得商业机密信息并且不同意使用或披露该信息。公司还应考虑禁止员工使用个人计算机或设备进行公司工作，并采取措施防止员工复制机密公司文档和文件，例如限制访问此类文档和文件或限制复制或打印此类文档和文件的能力。
如果一家公司怀疑商业秘密被盗用，它应该迅速采取行动。不仅通常存在限制可以提出索赔的时间段的法定时效，而且快速行动对于防止未经授权使用或传播商业秘密信息至关重要。例如，Green Leaf Lab，LLC最近就2 River Labs和Green Leaf的前雇员提起诉讼。
据称这名前雇员接触到了Green Leaf的秘密，并且据称还从绿叶USB驱动器中复制了Green Leaf的保密方法和程序，并将这些方法和程序带到了她的新雇主2 River Labs，据称他们使用了它们。Green Leaf指控的事实之一是该前雇员签署了书面保密协议。在最近提起的另一起案件中，My Vape Order，Inc。被指控为vaping行业的市场领导者，指控独立承包商Eric Upchurch侵犯商业秘密，指控Upchurch先生获悉My Vape的商业秘密。E-juice / E-liquid配方，并将其披露给第三方。承包商执行保密协议再次成为My Vape指控的关键因素。
在对目标公司的商业秘密进行尽职调查时，应该考虑各种问题，包括：
公司采取了哪些措施来保护其机密信息？
是否要求员工执行保密协议？承包商，供应商，高级职员，董事，顾问等等呢？
它是通过物理还是电子方式控制和限制对商业机密信息的访问？
是否采取措施教育员工了解保密机密信息的重要性？
当公司雇用员工时，是否提醒员工不要将其前雇主的商业秘密带给公司？
任何诉讼威胁以及任何未决诉讼的状态如何？
显然，加拿大和墨西哥不久是该行业的参与者，人们应该理解法律因国家和州而异。因此，前述内容仅作为美国法律的引子。
Source:https://www.globalbankingandfinance.com/jmbms-legal-cannabis-group-publishes-primer-on-intellectual-property-due-diligence-for-cannabis-industry-investors/
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