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0008 — Guild ↔ Ganjier Brand Relationship

  • Status: Accepted
  • Date: 2026-05-09
  • Decision owners: Gina Lyn Cox · Operations Lead · Founding Board · Counsel
  • Related: ADR-001 (Tax Classification 501©(6)) · ADR-006 (LMS in Member Portal) · ADR-007 (Library & Video Hosting)

Context

The Guild is being formed as a 501©(6) professional society. Its founders are themselves Certified Ganjiers. The Ganjier brand owner has provided the ganjierguild.com domain to the Guild, and a brand-license arrangement is being formalized by counsel.

This ADR documents the structural relationship between the Guild and the Ganjier brand so that downstream operational decisions (LMS content, credentialing, marketing language, member onboarding, governance docs) reference a single, citable source of truth.

Decision

The Guild operates as a structurally independent professional society for cannabis professionals, distinct from the Ganjier brand and program. The Guild and the Ganjier brand are linked by:

  1. A brand license (handled by counsel) covering Guild use of the "Ganjier" name in the entity name "Ganjier Guild" and the ganjierguild.com domain
  2. A shared founder pedigree — Guild founders are themselves Certified Ganjiers
  3. A member-recognition relationship — the Guild recognizes Ganjier credentials as a valid member attribute alongside other professional designations

The Guild is not a subsidiary, division, chapter, or franchise of the Ganjier program. The Guild and the Ganjier brand owner are separate entities with separate governance, separate financials, and separate liabilities.

What this means in practice

Naming and identity
Guild legal entity name "Ganjier Guild" (under brand license, finalized by counsel)
Guild domain ganjierguild.com (transferred from Ganjier brand owner; license covers continued use)
Guild marketing language Refers to itself as "the Guild" or "Ganjier Guild" — never as "Ganjier" alone (which refers to the program/brand owner)
Guild brand assets Guild-designed, distinct from Ganjier-program brand assets (logo, color system, typography)

Credentialing

  • The Guild does not issue Ganjier credentials. Ganjier certifications are issued by the Ganjier program, not the Guild.
  • The Guild recognizes Ganjier credentials. Membership tiers may include attributes for verified Ganjier credential holders, similar to how other professional societies recognize external designations (e.g., bar associations recognize JD/LLM degrees but don't issue them).
  • The Guild may create its own credentials in the future. If the Guild establishes its own certifications (e.g., "Guild Fellow," "Guild Certified Practitioner"), those would be Guild-defined, Guild-issued, and Guild-named — distinct from Ganjier credentials. Such credentialing requires founding-board approval and a separate ADR.

Educational content

  • Guild LMS hosts Guild-original content only. All courses delivered through the Guild member portal are authored by or for the Guild, or licensed to the Guild under written agreement.
  • No Ganjier-program content delivery without license amendment. The Guild does not deliver Ganjier-program educational material through its LMS unless and until the brand license is amended to cover content delivery rights. (See ADR-006 for LMS architecture.)
  • No content migration from Ganjier-program systems. No .mbz exports, no copy-paste, no paraphrased rebuilding of Ganjier-program courses into the Guild LMS under the current license scope.

Membership

  • Membership is open to cannabis professionals broadly, not limited to Certified Ganjiers.
  • Ganjier credential is a recognized attribute, not a membership requirement.
  • The membership tier structure (defined separately) may include benefits or recognition specific to verified Ganjier credential holders, but the baseline professional society is sector-wide.

Governance and operations

  • Separate boards. The Guild's founding board is separate from any Ganjier-program governance.
  • Separate finances. Guild dues, sponsorship revenue, and grants are Guild assets. No financial entanglement with the Ganjier brand owner under the current license.
  • Separate liabilities. Guild operations, member conduct, and any liability arising from Guild activity are Guild responsibility — not Ganjier-program responsibility, and vice versa.
  • License compliance is a Guild responsibility. Operations Lead + counsel are responsible for ensuring Guild use of Ganjier brand assets stays within license scope.

Why this matters for downstream decisions

This ADR is the anchor for:

  • ADR-006 (LMS): "Why is the LMS empty at launch? Why no Open LMS migration?" → because Guild does not own Ganjier content
  • ADR-007 (Library): "Why no Ganjier-program archive videos in the library?" → same answer
  • Membership materials: "Are we required to be a Certified Ganjier to join?" → no, Guild membership is sector-wide
  • Marketing copy: "Can we say 'Guild-certified Ganjier'?" → no, Ganjier is the brand owner's credential
  • Future content licensing conversations: "Can we license a Ganjier course module?" → only via brand-license amendment, with this ADR amended to reflect

Any future doc that implies the Guild owns the Ganjier program, issues Ganjier credentials, or has authority over Ganjier-program content should be reviewed against this ADR.

Consequences

Positive:

  • Clear separation of Guild and Ganjier-program identities reduces brand-confusion risk and IP-overreach risk
  • Guild can develop its own credentialing program and educational content without entangling Ganjier-program governance
  • Counsel-managed license provides a defensible legal foundation for "Ganjier Guild" name and domain use
  • Member-recognition model (rather than credential-issuance model) is well-precedented and operationally simpler

Negative / risks:

  • License scope changes (amendment, renewal, termination) would have material operational impact — this ADR would need amendment, and the Guild's name, domain, marketing, and materials would need review
  • "Ganjier Guild" name implies a closer relationship than independent-society — care required in marketing copy to avoid implying Guild authority over the Ganjier program
  • Members may assume the Guild issues Ganjier credentials and need clarification at onboarding

Mitigations:

  • Counsel handles license drafting, amendment, and renewal lifecycle
  • Member-onboarding materials explicitly explain the relationship: "Ganjier Guild is the professional society for cannabis professionals. The Ganjier credential is issued by the Ganjier program, separately from the Guild."
  • Marketing reviews go through Operations Lead with awareness of license scope
  • Form L (Communications & Brand Authorization Matrix) governs who can publish under Guild brand and what brand-adjacent claims are permitted

When to revisit

  • Brand license is renewed, amended, or terminated — triggers ADR amendment and possibly downstream ADR changes (LMS, library, naming, marketing)
  • Guild establishes its own credentialing program — may introduce new ADR, doesn't necessarily change this one
  • Ganjier brand owner organizational changes (acquisition, dissolution, ownership transfer) — license assignment review
  • Any third party challenges Guild use of "Ganjier" — counsel-led review

Implementation

Step Owner Status
Brand license drafted and executed Counsel In progress (per user direction)
Operations Lead briefed on license scope (what Guild can/cannot do with Ganjier brand) Counsel + Operations Lead Pending
Member onboarding materials reflect the relationship Communications committee Pending
Marketing review process includes license-scope check Communications committee + Operations Lead Pending
Form L (Communications & Brand Authorization Matrix) referenced for brand-adjacent publications Operations Lead Pending
This ADR reviewed at each license-event milestone (renewal, amendment, etc.) Operations Lead + Counsel Recurring