On August 22, 2019, Laurence Tureaud, most commonly known as Mr. T, sued Leafly, a digital cannabis company. In his lawsuit, Mr. T claimed that Leafly, the largest cannabis website in the world for people in legal cannabis markets, infringed on his trademark rights by abbreviating one of their product names, called Mr. Tusk, to “Mrt.” Mr. T became famous in the 1980s for his roles in the “The A-Team” and “Rocky III.”
According to Mr. T, the abbreviation of Mr. Tusk to “Mrt” and an accompanying logo may confuse customers into believing that Mr. T supports, or is affiliated with, Leafly. Mr. T says he repeatedly asked Leafly to stop using the “Mrt” graphic, but the company has denied infringing and refused to stop using its art. Further, Mr. T claimed that for nearly 40 years he has authorized his iconic name to be used for promotion and branded products, however, he did not authorize Leafly’s use of “Mrt.” According to a representative from Leafly, “We pity the absurdity of this claim.”
This lawsuit likely hits home for Mr. T, as he is a staunch anti-drug proponent. In the 1980s, Mr. T worked with First Lady Nancy Reagan on a series of anti-drug campaigns titled “Just Say No.” The campaign resulted in a series of comedic public service announcements, educational videos, and songs on Mr. T’s 1984 album entitled “Mr. T’s Commandments” where he warned children to stay away from drugs. Mr. T noted that working with Mrs. Reagan was “the highlight of [his] career” and, following Mrs. Reagan’s death in 2016, Mr. T tweeted, “I am just a Christian brother from the hood trying to do some good. I will continue her work in trying to keep kids from the dangers of drugs.”
We will continue to follow this case and report on any relevant updates.