America's Newest Crop: IP Protection, Product Development, and Enforcement for Hemp Innovation

The 2018 Farm Bill gave American farmers access to an entirely new crop: cannabis. There has been rapid adoption by farmers across the United States, and a burgeoning industry is being created. Legal regimes across the states have also been rapidly adapting to this new normal and are on pace with the ascension of the industry.  

This program, taught by Chris Holly, Dan Knauss, and Erich Veitenheimer of Cooley LLP, will provide an executive summary overview of the core concepts involved in protecting innovation in the hemp market, best practices to ensure intellectual property protection is not inadvertently lost through common business practices, and a conversation on enforcing Cannabis-related IP, including hemp.

Learning Objectives:

1. Review the key forms of legal intellectual property protection available to plant-based inventions with an emphasis upon hemp

2. Integrate IP protection programs into product development and avoid loss of key legal rights

3. Discuss the enforcement of plant IP