In previous posts, we’ve puzzled about why no one has filed a cannabis patent infringement case, despite the large number of patents granted for cannabis plants and compounds. See here, here, here, and here.

That all changed last week. United Cannabis Corporation (“UCANN”) has now filed what is believed to be the first cannabis patent infringement complaint. The case is United Cannabis Corporation v. Pure Hemp Collective, Inc., case no. 1:18-cv-01922-NYW, in the United States District Court for the District of Colorado.

The patent asserted is U.S.P. 9,730,911, “cannabis extracts and methods of preparing and using same.” The claims in the patent generally cover liquid cannabinol formulations using tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabidiol (CBD), and various terpenes. See, for example, claim 10: “A liquid cannabinoid formulation, wherein at least 95% of the total cannabinoids is cannabidiol (CBD).”

Although the UCANN complaint does not specify which claims are being asserted, it appears that the plaintiff may focus on CBD-related claims, e.g., claims 10-15, rather than claims for THC. The complaint devotes several paragraphs to discussing FDA’s recent approval of Epidiolex, a CBD-based drug, as we discuss here and here. The complaint suggests that FDA will reclassify CBDs generally as Schedule II or Schedule III drugs. While it is clear that FDA will do a reclassification, it is not clear that it will reclassify all CBDs, rather than just the Epidiolex compound.

In any event, we expect to see more cannabis patent litigation soon, perhaps in Colorado, California, Oregon or elsewhere. Whether it will be a trickle or a flood remains to be seen, but we will be following the UCANN case closely and providing regular updates.

For more on cannabis patents, see our series here: