The federal prohibition of marijuana in the U.S. has made it difficult for cannabis businesses to protect their brand identity, even when they are operating legitimately under state law.

Partner Jeffrey Johnson and Vedad Tabich co-authored the second in a series of three articles where we will explore alternative ways to protect a cannabis business’s brand identity in the absence of a right to obtain a federal trademark registration.

Jeffrey Johnson leads the firm’s Cannabis practice and is a member of Pryor Cashman’s Intellectual Property, Corporate, and Technology Groups. Vedad is a member of Pryor Cashman's Corporate Group. Partner Teresa Lee, who co-chairs Pryor Cashman’s Trademark Practice, also contributed to the article.