Attorney General William Tong joined a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general to urge Congress to enact legislation allowing trademark holders to hold accountable sellers of unregulated cannabis copycat products that resemble popular snacks and cause accidental THC ingestion in children. The coalition highlighted the public health risk and called for federal action to stop the spread of these dangerous products.
In-house legal teams should review vendor, distribution, and licensing agreements with manufacturers or distributors of cannabis edibles and snack food brand licensors. Focus on intellectual property indemnification clauses to ensure protection against trade dress infringement and counterfeit claims; product compliance warranties requiring adherence to child-safety packaging and THC labeling laws; recall and notification procedures; and insurance requirements covering product liability. Amendments may be needed to mandate strict compliance with state cannabis regulations, enforce child-resistant packaging standards, include audit rights for safety verification, and allow termination for violations involving deceptive copycat products.
Entity
Malicious actors marketing illicit copycat THC edibles
Also known as: Illicit THC Edible Sellers
Industry
OtherOfficial Press Release
https://portal.ct.gov/ag/press-releases/2022-press-releases/attorney-general-tong-urges-congress-to-protect-children-from-cannabis-copycat-products
thc cannabis letter final.pdf?rev=261d07c06c3d4a88b1092f4581
https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/ag/press_releases/2022/thc-cannabis-letter-final.pdf?rev=261d07c06c3d4a88b1092f4581b115ef&hash=84F9AA85405FE6C07CD52A3985D0BF9D
Connecticut Attorney General Enforcement Page
https://portal.ct.gov/AG/Privacy/Privacy-Resources
$29.6M
Attorney General Jennifer Davenport joined a coalition of 48 states and territories in a $29.6 million settlement with Glenmark, a generic drug manufacturer, for allegedly conspiring to artificially inflate and manipulate prices, reduce competition, and restrain trade for numerous generic prescription drugs. The settlement includes cooperation in ongoing litigations and internal reforms to ensure fair competition.
$29.6M
Attorney General William Tong led a coalition of 48 states and territories in a $29.6 million settlement with Glenmark, a generic drug manufacturer, to resolve allegations of a widespread conspiracy to artificially inflate prices, reduce competition, and unreasonably restrain trade for numerous generic prescription drugs. The settlement includes cooperation from Glenmark in ongoing multistate litigations and internal reforms to ensure fair competition and compliance with antitrust laws.
$18.0M
Attorney General William Tong led a coalition of 42 attorneys general in a settlement with the bankruptcy trustee for 23andMe, resolving allegations from a 2023 data breach that compromised the genetic data of 6.9 million customers. The settlement includes $150 million in allowed claims, with $18 million paid from bankruptcy funds, and requires enhanced data security measures for the new entity holding the data.
Attorney General William Tong joined a coalition of 12 attorneys general in suing to block the $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. by Paramount Skydance Corporation. The lawsuit alleges the merger violates Section 7 of the Clayton Act by substantially lessening competition in theatrical film distribution and basic cable television licensing, which would harm consumers through higher prices and reduced quality.
Attorney General William Tong and 48 other attorneys general submitted comments to the FCC urging stronger rules to prevent scammers from accessing legitimate telephone numbers for illegal robocalls. The coalition is responding to the FCC's proposed rules and asks for measures such as stronger certification, reporting, and prohibitions on number cycling.
$45.0M
Attorney General Tong announced a $45 million multistate settlement with Block, Inc., the company behind Cash App, for misleading consumers about the safety of the platform, failing to protect users from fraud, and not providing promised fraud protection and resolution services. The settlement requires Block to implement major reforms including real customer support, transparent communications, and security commitments, and reaffirms Block's commitment to distribute between $75 million and $120 million to compensate consumers as part of a separate CFPB settlement.