Herbs ‘R’ Us Branding Gets Wrecked

Canadian cannabis dispensary Herbs ‘R’ Us, rolled out a logo a little too reminiscent of the well-known Toys ‘R’ Us logo. Toys ‘R’ Us, feeling a little burned by the effort, sought to bring them down, and sued in Canadian Federal Court on the grounds that Herbs ‘R’ Us infringed its trademark rights, left consumers in a haze about where the brand came from, and diluted the buzz attached to the Toys ‘R’ Us trademark.

The Court accepted the case, but blunted the infringement and confusion complaints, having found it would be highly unlikely that consumers would be either dazed or confused into thinking Toys ‘R’ Us had started selling pot. The Court did, however, find that Herbs ‘R’ Us logo would, in fact, depreciate the Toys ‘R’ Us brand and ordered Herbs R Us to cease using the name, deliver up any packaging in possession for destruction, and pay $30,000 CAD in damages.