University of Maryland sends cease-and-desist to Colorado cannabis company over name, logo
UMD sends cease-and-desist to cannabis company
The University of Maryland sent a cease-and-desist to a cannabis company.
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The University of Maryland is taking on a Colorado cannabis company over its name and logo.
What we know:
UMD sent a cease-and-desist letter to Terps USA, demanding the company stop using the name and its trademark — and giving the business 30 days to make the change and provide proof that it has done so.
But Terps USA owner Ken Fry says he has no intention of giving up the name.
"I was dumbfounded reading the letter," Fry told FOX 5.
Fry said he has been using the Terps USA name and logo since he started the company in 2019 — seven years before receiving the letter from UMD.
He said the name has nothing to do with the University of Maryland and that Terps is short for terpenes he uses in his products, which are natural chemical compounds found in plants that contribute to the flavor and aroma of cannabis and can influence its effects.
Still, the similarities between the two logos are pretty obvious.
Fry acknowledges the similarities between the two, but says they were coincidental and that he never intended to copy or capitalize on UMD's brand.
UMD demands changes
And according to Fry, the university's demands go beyond changing the logo.
He says UMD is also asking the company to abandon its federal trademark and change the name of the business altogether.
Fry said he is willing to discuss the logo but draws the line at giving up the company name.
"It’s ours. You’re not taking our name because you don’t like it," Fry said.
Fry said he would be willing to sit down with the university and try to work out an agreement over the logo.
"Will we sit down and talk to you about the logo and have a conversation and work it out? Absolutely. We’d be more than happy to do that," he said. "But we’re not giving up our name."
Terps USA says its attorneys have responded to UMD's letter but have not yet received a response from the university.
FOX 5 reached out to the University of Maryland. The university declined to comment.
The Source: Information in this report is from court records and original FOX 5 DC reporting.