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More in depth coverage of the top stories and breaking news when it happens News Radio 10 at KR LD
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there's a very interesting legal dispute between the world's largest fast food company and a small hemp shop in North Carolina and here to help us sort this out is the man known as the patent professor. He's on the KR LD Newsline and we welcome John Rizvi, John. Good
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morning. Good morning. Pleasure to be here.
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Good to have you. So explain to us what's going on here. You've got McDonald's on one side and this little CBD and hemp shop. On the other side. What's the conflict?
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Yes, so this CBD and they have smokable hemp flowers and they sell CBD gummies. And they tried to file a registration for a trademark for MC hemp. And the way trademark registrations work is there's a 30 day time period where anybody that believes that they're going to be harmed by the trademark gets to oppose. So clearly McDonald's is not happy with the trademark filing from a camp, and they are opposing.
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So it's those two little letters M C, which most of us do associate with McDonald's. John, do they basically claim to own anything commercial that starts with MC?
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That certainly seems like it they have 13 trademarks starting with mix with MC MC chicken, make double make Cafe make delivery, make muffin McNugget. That list goes on and make delivery. So they're essentially they believe anybody that has a trademark that starts with the MC, you know that consumers might be confused. But in this case, it's not so much that consumers are going to be confused with MC hemp and believe that McDonald's is now going into the marrow lab goodness, but they're worried about the damage to their reputation, if they that's essentially the basis of their opposition is that they have a wholesome brand. And they do not want it associated with hemp flowers or CBD gummy bears.
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So in your opinion, John, does McDonald's have a strong case here? And maybe should they just lighten up a bit?
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Well, they I believe they do have a strong case. If it were not, if this if the product were not related to something that could tarnish McDonald's reputation, right. Generally anything having to do with sex or drugs is going to be really hard for a company to avoid the opposition, especially with a mark as strong as McDonald's. Their MC is has really become incredibly well known and there is obviously a lot of recognition and consumers do associate that with McDonald's.
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That is a very interesting story. John, thanks so much for helping us sort it out. That is the patent Professor John Rizvi.