New York, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - July 31, 2024) - Ganjapreneur - a popular media platform and news source in the cannabis industry - has reported that HBI International, the makers of RAW rolling papers, have achieved a significant victory in their copyright infringement lawsuit against Republic Tobacco, the producers of OCB rolling papers. A federal judge ordered Republic to pay nearly $1.5 million to HBI International for infringing on RAW's copyright and trade dress.

Ganjapreneur has reported on HBI Internationals copyright infringement victory.

Josh Kesselman, RAW founder, said the company was "pleased with the outcome, but that doesn't make this any less frustrating."

Kesselman expanded on the situation in a press release stating, "Republic has persistently pursued litigation against our company, perhaps because of our success. We intend to donate the net proceeds we will receive, now that this case is resolved, to organizations working to help small businesses in the cannabis field, particularly businesses that are startups involving individuals who were previously convicted of nonviolent cannabis related crimes. We're hopeful that Republic will now cease its relentless effort to destroy our business and focus, like us, on helping the emerging cannabis industry achieve greater equity in the marketplace."

Ganjapreneur reports that the case began in 2016 after HBI reached out to Republic to point out similarities between RAW's Organic Hemp packaging and Republic's OCB Organic Hemp packaging - a product that was released several years after RAW's. When Republic introduced their OCB Organic Hemp product in the U.S. in 2014, HBI reached out about the marketing and packaging similarities and asked for the companies to discuss the matter but, Republic responded by suing them in federal court in Illinois, seeking a declaratory judgment saying it had not infringed anything.

Josh Kesselman, Founder of RAW.

The Ganjapreneur article goes on to write that in 2021 a jury concluded that Republic had willfully infringed on RAW Organic Hemp trade dress, including its copyrighted "Sold Here" sign, awarding HBI over $1 million. Ganjapreneur also wrote that the jury found that none of RAW's product statements violated the Lanham Act (many of which HBI had stopped making before the trial) but found for Republic on two state law claims, permitting only injunctive relief and not damages, based on the same factual allegations.

In summary, HBI International's victory over Republic Brands in the copyright infringement lawsuit, as reported by Ganjapreneur, signals a significant milestone in the ongoing legal battles within the cannabis industry. RAW founder Josh Kesselman's commitment to donating the net proceeds to support small businesses in the cannabis field reflects a dedication to fostering equity and growth within the industry. This case highlights the complexities and challenges faced by businesses navigating legal disputes in the ever-evolving cannabis marketplace.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/211484