(Entrepreneur) RooR, a company based in Frankenthal, Germany, makes upmarket water pipes (commonly referred to as bongs) that command top prices. The brand, which is spelled with the second “R” capitalized and turned around, has become synonymous with high-end marijuana culture. The company, in a slate of recent lawsuits, accuses cannabis shops in the United States of trying to steal their luxury brand appeal. The company and its U.S. partner have accused shops in California, Florida and New York of selling counterfeit products under the RooR name. The company alleges that the sales are in violation of Trademark No. 3675839. “Counterfeiting is a huge problem for us,” Jay Farraj, owner of Sream Inc., told the Associated Press. Sream is RooR’s partner in the U.S. He said the fake RooR items have cost his California business millions of dollars.
Tricky legal area.