The cannabis market in North America is extremely active and it appears clear that this market is poised to continue its rapid growth as a result of its legalization on October 17, 2018 in Canada and the likely future legalization in other US states.
Authored by Fasken’s Serge Lapointe, we provide an in-depth article discussing the financial status of the cannabis industry and analyzes cannabis from the perspective of patents. In particular, the article presents the results of research showing global patenting activities in recent years, and gives current and concrete examples of patents in various categories.
Statistical and research highlights include:
- Financial analysis of the global cannabis industry, with consumer spending in legal products reaching 6.7 billion USD in 2016, a 34% increase compared to 2015.
- The number of annual cannabis-related patent filings worldwide has nearly doubled from 2012 to 2016, with average annual growth of around 20%. The data reveals that these "inventions" originate in nearly every country, mainly China, the United States and Canada.
- 15 leading patent filers in the cannabis sector
- Main patent classifications related to cannabis
- Examples of recent patents
To learn more, download: What is the Buzz Around the Current State of Patents in the Cannabis Industry? (PDF, 340KB)
