Ron Coleman (legal scholar)
Encyclopedia
Ronald David Coleman is a lawyer and legal blogger who is known for his work in the areas of First Amendment
and intellectual property
rights, especially pertaining to the Internet, and particularly in his role as author of the Likelihood of Confusion blawg. He served briefly as an adjunct professor of law at Seton Hall University
, and is a frequent lecturer and writer on legal issues.
Coleman, general counsel
of the Media Bloggers Association
, wrote the first article on Internet law in the American Bar Association Journal in 1995. Coleman also co-authored a chapter entitled Responses to Complaints in the first edition of the American Bar Association
Litigation Section's treatise, Business and Commercial Litigation in Federal Courts, was the principal author of an American Bar Association
public education work on consumer law and wrote the Princeton Review Pre-Law Companion for aspiring law students. He was also a contributing editor for the American Bar Association
publication, Student Lawyer, during the 1980s, winning a Chicago Newspaper Guild Stick-O-Type Award for Feature Writing in 1987 for his work there.
Coleman represented Steven Brodsky in the early cybersquatting
dispute Jews for Jesus v. Brodsky (in 1998) and The National Debate's online parody of The New York Times
's corrections page against legal threats by the paper. Coleman has subsequently become associated with the defending the rights of bloggers. Other reported blogger clients include Pamela Geller
, Rogers Cadenhead
,Lance Dutson, Joan Stewart, Kevin Aylward,Patrick "Patterico" Frey,
Katherine Coble Jeffrey Wrightand Michael Bates. He has also drawn attention in connection with his representation of businesses in disputes over the use of intellectual property
on the Internet, and his experience with respect to Web-based defamation claims. Coleman has also, on behalf of the Media Bloggers Association, participated in the legal representation of various defendants involved in the Righthaven "copyright troll
" litigation.
A graduate of Princeton University
and Northwestern University School of Law
, Coleman is credited with coining the term "blogola" to refer to supposedly illicit consideration given to bloggers in return for favorable reviews or other mentions of products or services in their blog postings.
First Amendment to the United States Constitution
The First Amendment to the United States Constitution is part of the Bill of Rights. The amendment prohibits the making of any law respecting an establishment of religion, impeding the free exercise of religion, abridging the freedom of speech, infringing on the freedom of the press, interfering...
and intellectual property
Intellectual property
Intellectual property is a term referring to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which a set of exclusive rights are recognized—and the corresponding fields of law...
rights, especially pertaining to the Internet, and particularly in his role as author of the Likelihood of Confusion blawg. He served briefly as an adjunct professor of law at Seton Hall University
Seton Hall University School of Law
The Seton Hall University School of Law is part of Seton Hall University, and is located in downtown Newark, New Jersey. Seton Hall Law School is the only private law school in New Jersey, and is the top-ranked of the three law schools in the state...
, and is a frequent lecturer and writer on legal issues.
Coleman, general counsel
General Counsel
A general counsel is the chief lawyer of a legal department, usually in a corporation or government department. The term is most used in the United States...
of the Media Bloggers Association
Media Bloggers Association
The Media Bloggers Association is a United States membership-based, non-partisan voluntary association describing its activity as "supporting the development of 'blogging' or 'citizen journalism' as a distinct form of media"....
, wrote the first article on Internet law in the American Bar Association Journal in 1995. Coleman also co-authored a chapter entitled Responses to Complaints in the first edition of the American Bar Association
American Bar Association
The American Bar Association , founded August 21, 1878, is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. The ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of academic standards for law schools, and the formulation...
Litigation Section's treatise, Business and Commercial Litigation in Federal Courts, was the principal author of an American Bar Association
American Bar Association
The American Bar Association , founded August 21, 1878, is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. The ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of academic standards for law schools, and the formulation...
public education work on consumer law and wrote the Princeton Review Pre-Law Companion for aspiring law students. He was also a contributing editor for the American Bar Association
American Bar Association
The American Bar Association , founded August 21, 1878, is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. The ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of academic standards for law schools, and the formulation...
publication, Student Lawyer, during the 1980s, winning a Chicago Newspaper Guild Stick-O-Type Award for Feature Writing in 1987 for his work there.
Coleman represented Steven Brodsky in the early cybersquatting
Cybersquatting
Cybersquatting , according to the United States federal law known as the Anticybersquatting Consumer Protection Act, is registering, trafficking in, or using a domain name with bad faith intent to profit from the goodwill of a trademark belonging to someone else...
dispute Jews for Jesus v. Brodsky (in 1998) and The National Debate's online parody of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
's corrections page against legal threats by the paper. Coleman has subsequently become associated with the defending the rights of bloggers. Other reported blogger clients include Pamela Geller
Pamela Geller
Pamela Geller is an American blogger, author, political activist, and commentator. She is known primarily for her criticisms of Islam and opposition to Muslim activities and causes, such as the proposed construction of an Islamic community center near the former site of the World Trade Center...
, Rogers Cadenhead
Rogers Cadenhead
Rogers Cadenhead is a computer book author and web publisher who is currently chairman of the RSS Advisory Board, a group that assists developers in using the RSS 2.0 specification. He graduated from the University of North Texas in 1991 and Lloyd V...
,Lance Dutson, Joan Stewart, Kevin Aylward,Patrick "Patterico" Frey,
Katherine Coble Jeffrey Wrightand Michael Bates. He has also drawn attention in connection with his representation of businesses in disputes over the use of intellectual property
Intellectual property
Intellectual property is a term referring to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which a set of exclusive rights are recognized—and the corresponding fields of law...
on the Internet, and his experience with respect to Web-based defamation claims. Coleman has also, on behalf of the Media Bloggers Association, participated in the legal representation of various defendants involved in the Righthaven "copyright troll
Copyright troll
A copyright troll is a pejorative term for a party that enforces copyrights it owns for purposes of making money through litigation, in a manner considered unduly aggressive or opportunistic, generally without producing or licensing its own works for paid distribution...
" litigation.
A graduate of Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
and Northwestern University School of Law
Northwestern University School of Law
The Northwestern University School of Law is a private American law school in Chicago, Illinois. The law school was founded in 1859 as the Union College of Law of the Old University of Chicago. The first law school established in Chicago, it became jointly controlled by Northwestern University in...
, Coleman is credited with coining the term "blogola" to refer to supposedly illicit consideration given to bloggers in return for favorable reviews or other mentions of products or services in their blog postings.
External links
- Likelihood of Confusion (blawg)
- Likelihood of Success (blog)