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But experts say there’s more at stake than classing up the joint with a spiffy new name: it’s as much a commercial powerplay as it is a rebrand about who cannabis is for.

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“With increasing legal issues around intellectual property, producers of the popular strains may not have any other choice but to rename their strains to preserve their very existence,” says Tomasz Borowicz, chief branding officer at Indiva, an Ontario-based licensed producer.

Borowicz is referring to the ongoing patent battles that have marred some producers as they try to get their products ready for shelves; which he says has up-and-comers scrambling to rename and claim intellectual ownership of strains before others can point a finger.

The first ever cannabis patent battle is still well underway, with American cultivator United Cannabis Corporation claiming that another producer, Pure Hemp Collective, infringed on its patent on one of their tinctures.

There are instances of copyright infringement as well, reminding producers that like any product, naming your new strain after your favourite fantasy franchise is likely to cause a lot of more trouble. “The popular Ewok strain is now called Alien Walker, and Skywalker OG is now Mazar x Blueberry OG,” explains Borowicz, recalling a recent case in which cannabis news and review site Leafly was forced to rename the aforementioned strains as the film studio wanted to avoid any negative association.

Producers manufacturing the renowned Gorilla Glue strain were stuck in a similar spot after its adhesive namesake came sniffing. “The dispute and ongoing branding efforts have already cost them $250,000,” he says.