Hershey chocolate makers say a Seattle pot dispensary is infringing on the company’s trademark by selling a knockoff of the famous peanut-butter filled Reese’s Cup that’s called a Reefer’s Cup — and is filled with marijuana ingredients.
Hershey launched a federal trademark suit calling on the Seattle Conscious Care Cooperative to stop selling the pot-laced item, as well as another called “Mr. Dankbar,” seen as a knockoff of Mr. Goodbar chocolates.
“Consumers depend on our brand names to represent a level of quality and dependability,” said Hershey spokesman Jeff Beckman, KIRO-TV reported. “These entities have used Hershey’s trademarks, without authorization, to trade on Hershey’s good will and reputation and to draw greater attention to their products. These unauthorized uses of Hershey’s trademarks also make the products more appealing to children.”
Hershey filed a similar lawsuit in Colorado, Raw Story reported.
But one SCCC worker suggested the pot dispenser was not to blame.
“It’s not even our product,” said the employee, who wished to remain anonymous, Raw Story reported. “It’s just something that we carry. So it’s a vendor, it’s not even us.”
The SCCC website, meanwhile, touts other marijuana-laced products that seem similar to other well-established snack foods — like Seattle’s Cannabis Kitchen Gold Fish, nearly identical in shape to Pepperidge Farm Goldfish crackers.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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