🌱 Is There Hope For Planting Hope?

The Planting Hope Company announced this week it is implementing a strategic review over the next few months to realign the business for profitable growth. The owner of the Hope and Sesame, RightRice, Mozaics and Veggicopia brands said it will explore commercial alliance partnerships, divestitures and other opportunities that will allow it to grow without burning cash. The company, which has offices in Chicago and Vancouver, B.C., also is reshuffling its leadership team.

The latest wrinkle in a three-year-long intellectual property (IP) dispute between alternative meat brands Meati and Better Meat Co. (BMC) has swung the pendulum largely in favor of Better Meat. The suit was originally filed in July 2021 after Meati claimed that Better Meat had developed its mycelium-based meat alternatives with stolen IP.

🥩 Over the years, the two plant-based protein brands have traded litigation surrounding the claims that Meati’s founders Tyler Huggins and Justin Whiteley should be listed on BMC’s patents.

👨🏼‍⚖️ On June 7, Eastern District of California Judge Kimberly J. Mueller shot down many of Meati’s claims saying that the company had “not supported its opposition” to BMC.

🤔 Mueller did allow some of Meati’s lawsuit claims to go forward but has rejected the core complaint over BMC’s four patents.

Catch Up Quick: Plant-based Meat Companies Feud Over Fermentation Tech.

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