Terps USA Leader in Terpene Sprays & UMD Dispute
WHY SETTLE FOR SOMEONE ELSE TELLING YOU WHO YOU ARE?
We Got a Demand - We Sent an Invitation
Because it's Our Brand.
We Got a Demand
We Sent an Invitation
On July 24, 2026, the University of Maryland sent Terps USA LLC a cease-and-desist letter.
They didn't ask us to have a conversation.
They demanded that we stop using Terps USA.
They demanded that we voluntarily surrender our federal registration.
They asked for written assurance that we would comply - and a copy of the surrender filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
We said no.
Not because we wanted a fight.
Because it's our brand.
TERPS vs. TERPS
The Memes
We got a cease-and-desist. We sent a response. Then the internet started making memes.
See the growing collection of memes and creative reactions inspired by the University of Maryland and Terps USA trademark dispute.
Terps USA Wasn't Built in Maryland
It Was Built in the Terpene Industry
Terps USA was founded in Colorado in 2019.
We sell terpenes .
And in our industry, people call terpenes terps.
That's where our brand came from.
Terps - because that's what we sell.
USA - because we believed then, and still believe now, that the American Dream is alive and well.
We built a company around that name. Customers know it. Suppliers know it. Distributors know it. Our products carry it.
And the United States Patent and Trademark Office issued Terps USA federal Registration No. 6578151.
Because it's our brand.
The
Timeline
The University of Maryland applied federally to register TERPS, claiming first use dating to 1933.
That application was abandoned after final refusal.
Terps USA filed its federal application for TERPS USA, claiming first use in commerce in May 2019.
The USPTO issued Terps USA Registration No. 6578151 on the Supplemental Register.
A University of Maryland alumnus and benefactor emailed Terps USA accusing the company of stealing Maryland's name and trademarked image. The email ended: "Legal action to follow." We preserved the email.
The University of Maryland filed another federal TERPS application.
The University's Office of General Counsel sent its cease-and-desist letter.
Terps USA retained attorney Milo Schwab of Ascend Counsel. Our answer was straightforward: We will not stop using Terps USA. We will not voluntarily surrender our federal registration. But our response did something the original demand did not.
It invited a conversation.
A Demand
And an Invitation
Our attorney's response ended by telling the University that we would welcome a call before either side took another step.
That's where we stand.
We got a demand - not an invitation.
We replied to the demand - and included an invitation.
Our brand isn't something we're prepared to surrender. A conversation is something we're prepared to have.
Don't Take Our
Word For It
We’ve told you what the University of Maryland demanded.
We’ve told you how Terps USA responded.
Now read both letters for yourself.
University of Maryland Cease-and-Desist Letter
The original cease-and-desist letter sent by the University of Maryland’s Office of General Counsel to Terps USA LLC.
Read The University's Letter →Terps USA Attorney Response
The response from attorney Milo Schwab of Ascend Counsel on behalf of Terps USA LLC.
Read Our Response →Why
"Terps" Matters
There's another part of this story that extends far beyond Terps USA.
In the cannabis and botanical terpene industry, "terps" is ordinary shorthand for terpenes.
Terps USA isn't the only company using it. The marketplace includes businesses and brands using TERP or TERPS in names, products and descriptions.
Our attorney's response also identifies multiple USPTO registrations and applications containing TERP or TERPS and argues that the Trademark Office has repeatedly treated the term as descriptive within the terpene trade.
To Maryland, "Terps" means Terrapins.
To our industry, "terps" means terpenes.
And Terps USA sells terpenes.
The Cannabis
Question
The University's letter went beyond trademarks.
It specifically expressed concern that consumers might believe Maryland had licensed, sponsored or endorsed cannabis-related products or services and stated that such an association would impair the goodwill in its TERPS marks.
That language caught people's attention.
Maryland is a state where adult-use cannabis is legal, and the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy operates a graduate program devoted to Medical Cannabis Science and Therapeutics.
Our attorney addressed that issue in the response.
But our position is simpler.
Terps USA isn't pretending to be the University of Maryland.
We're a Colorado terpene company. They're a university.
From Industry Press to
Mainstream News to Television
What began as a cease-and-desist letter has become a story covered by cannabis media, Maryland news organizations, sports media, international publications, Washington-area news and television.
The Washington Post • FOX 5 DC • The Daily Record • The Diamondback • Cannible • NUG Magazine • Baltimore News Today – The Daily News Now • College Park Here & Now / Streetcar Suburbs • CBS News Baltimore • Cannabis Equipment News • Sports Business Journal • MMJDaily • Yahoo News • AOL • WTOP News • The Baltimore Banner • Ganjapreneur • 247Sports / Inside Maryland Sports • Maryland Bay News • Michael Phillips / Substack • Cannabis Law Report • Ganja Talks Brazil • Boof du Jour
A logo is pitting a Maryland university against a Colorado cannabis company
The Washington Post examines the trademark dispute between the University of Maryland and Terps USA, including UMD's demand that Terps USA abandon its company name and logo and surrender its registered trademark.
The article reports that Terps USA had already rebranded its website and products to green and gold in June, before receiving UMD's July cease-and-desist letter.
The Washington Post also reviewed a December 2025 email sent to Terps USA by UMD alumnus Greg Schaub, who founded a scholarship for Texas students and served on the Alumni Association Board of Governors' finance committee. In the email, Schaub accused Terps USA of having “stolen the name and trademarked image from the University of Maryland” and wrote, “Legal action to follow.”
The Washington Post reports that Schaub did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
Importantly, UMD's response to The Washington Post was specific: a university spokesperson said that neither the University's Trademarks and Licensing office nor school attorney Ben Forville was contacted by Schaub about the Terps USA name or logo.
The article does not report a broader statement from UMD that Schaub had no communications with anyone at the university concerning Terps USA.
The article also discusses UMD's trademark-registration history, its new TERPS trademark application filed in June, Terps USA's position that “terps” is commonly used as shorthand for terpenes in the cannabis industry, and Terps USA's willingness to discuss the dispute rather than litigate.
University of Maryland sends cease-and-desist to Colorado cannabis company over name, logo
FOX 5 DC reporter Homa Bash interviewed Terps USA founder Ken Fry about the University of Maryland cease-and-desist, the meaning of “Terps” in the terpene industry and why Terps USA will not surrender its name.
“But we're not giving up our brand.”— Ken Fry, Founder, Terps USA — FOX 5 DC
Cannabis company’s ‘Terps’ logo spurs cease and desist from UMD
The Diamondback, the independent student newspaper serving the University of Maryland community, reported on UMD’s cease-and-desist dispute with Colorado-based Terps USA. The article covers UMD’s demand that Terps USA surrender its trademark, Terps USA’s request for a conversational compromise, and the company’s June green-and-gold rebrand that occurred before the university’s legal threat.
The Diamondback also reported that UMD declined to comment on the ongoing dispute and that university counsel referred questions to the university’s communications department.
The story also quotes Ken Fry acknowledging UMD's concern about its logo while explaining that Terps USA is a registered business and the dispute affects his and others' livelihoods.
A logo is pitting UMD against a Colorado cannabis company
The Daily Record, Maryland's business and legal news publication, published The Washington Post's reporting on the trademark dispute between the University of Maryland and Colorado-based Terps USA. The syndicated report covers UMD's cease-and-desist demand, Terps USA's federal trademark registration, the company's response through counsel, and founder Ken Fry's position that Terps USA is willing to discuss its visual branding while retaining the company name it has used since 2019.
Maryland vs. “Terps”: What a University's Cease-and-Desist Reveals About Cannabis Branding Risk
Cannible examines the Terps USA / University of Maryland dispute as a real-world cannabis branding case study—breaking down UMD's demands, Terps USA's federal trademark, the different commercial meanings of “Terps,” UMD's trademark history, and the lessons other cannabis companies can take from the dispute.
Cannible makes an important distinction early in the article:
“A demand is not a finding.”
It emphasizes that UMD's cease-and-desist is a demand, not a court ruling, and that the underlying trademark questions have not been decided by a court.
UMD Sends Cease-and-Desist to Colorado Cannabis Company Over ‘Terps’ Name
NUG Magazine covers the trademark dispute between the University of Maryland and Terps USA, a Colorado cannabis company, over the use of the “Terps” name. The article discusses UMD’s cease-and-desist demand, the dispute surrounding the TERPS USA name and branding, and Terps USA’s position in response to the university’s demands.
Terps USA vs University Trademark Battle | Baltimore News
Baltimore News Today covers the trademark dispute between Terps USA and the University of Maryland in this audio news report.
The episode examines the university's cease-and-desist demands, Terps USA's position in the dispute, and the broader questions surrounding the use of “Terps” by a cannabis company versus the University of Maryland.
The report provides listeners with a concise overview of how the dispute developed and the competing positions of Terps USA and the university.
UMD demands that weed-adjacent company stop using ‘Terps’ in its name
College Park Here & Now reports on UMD's demands that Terps USA stop using “Terps” in its company name, following an interview with Terps USA founder Ken Fry.
UMD threatens legal action against cannabis product company over name
CBS News Baltimore amplifies The Baltimore Banner's reporting on UMD's trademark dispute with Terps USA and the university's demands concerning the company's name and branding.
University of Maryland Threatens Legal Action Against Colorado Cannabis Company
Cannabis Equipment News covers UMD's cease-and-desist against Terps USA, the company's refusal to give up its name, and the December 2025 email from a UMD alumnus accusing the company of stealing the university's trademarked image.
TO THE COURTROOM
Sports Business Journal highlighted the University of Maryland–Terps USA dispute for its national sports-business audience, including UMD’s demands that Terps USA rename the company and give up its trademark, while citing Ken Fry’s description of the dispute as a “David vs. Goliath” fight.
University of Maryland sends cease-and-desist to Colorado cannabis company over name, logo
Additional coverage of the University of Maryland and Terps USA trademark dispute.
University of Maryland sends cease-and-desist to Colorado cannabis company over name, logo
Syndicated coverage of the FOX 5 DC story, expanding the dispute's reach through Yahoo News.
University of Maryland sends cease-and-desist to Colorado cannabis company over name, logo
Syndicated coverage of the story, documenting its continued spread across major news platforms.
A legal battle over the name ‘Terps’ could be coming between UMD and a cannabis product company
WTOP News reported on the dispute between the University of Maryland and Terps USA over the “Terps” name and branding, bringing the story to the Washington, D.C. and Maryland news audience.
Not those Terps: UMD threatens legal action against cannabis product company over name
The University of Maryland, College Park, sent Terps USA a cease-and-desist letter this summer demanding Fry abandon the logo design, rename his company and give up his trademark, which was approved in 2021.
University of Maryland Sends Cease-and-Desist to Terpenes Brand Over 'TERPS' and Branding Style
Ganjapreneur broke the story, reporting on Maryland's allegations, Terps USA's response and the University's cannabis-specific concern.
Why are the University of Maryland's lawyers going after a cannabis company?
This moved the story outside cannabis media and directly into the Maryland/Terrapins sports community.
UMD Let Its Own "Terps" Trademark Lapse for Nearly Three Years. Now It Wants a Cannabis Company to Stop Using the Name.
Phillips focused on Maryland's federal trademark history and the period during which it lacked a federal registration for TERPS standing alone.
UMD Let Its Own "Terps" Trademark Lapse for Nearly Three Years. Now It Wants a Cannabis Company to Stop Using the Name.
The client supplied this direct article link along with graphics illustrating the competing meanings of "Terps" and the trademark timeline.
University of Maryland Sends Cease-and-Desist to Terpenes Brand Over 'TERPS' Name and Branding Style
Cannabis Law Report republished the Ganjapreneur reporting, putting the dispute before a cannabis-law audience.
Terpenos e Marcas: O Caso 'TERPS' da Universidade de Maryland
The story crossed borders when Brazilian cannabis publication Ganja Talks examined the dispute as a cannabis branding and intellectual-property issue.
University of Maryland Claims Ownership of "Terps," Apple Expected to Sue Orchards Next
Boof du Jour turned the dispute into satire.
Then Came
The Memes
The story didn't stop with the news coverage. The internet had its own response.
We've started collecting the TERPS vs. TERPS memes and creative reactions in one place.
Why
Settle?
Terps USA didn't start this dispute.
We received a demand.
We answered it.
And we left the door open for a conversation.
We're not asking anyone to accept our interpretation of the law simply because we say so.
Read the reporting. Read the records. Read our history. Read our research. Then make up your own mind.
We've spent years telling customers not to settle for mediocre flower, mediocre carts, bad information or industry myths.
That standard applies to us too.
We won't settle for someone else deciding who we are.
Because it's our brand.
TERPS USA® - Founded 2019 - Colorado
Read the records. Read the history. Make up your own mind.
