Ian C. Ballon

Ian Ballon is an intellectual property and Internet litigator who is the Co-Chair of Greenberg Traurig LLP’s Global Intellectual Property & Technology Practice Group. He represents clients in copyright, DMCA, trademark, trade secret, right of publicity, privacy, security, software, database and Internet- and mobile-related disputes and in the defense of data privacy, security breach, behavioral advertising, TCPA and other Internet-related class action suits.

Mr. Ballon, who splits his time between the firm's Silicon Valley and LA offices, is the author of the five-volume legal treatise, E-Commerce and Internet Law: Treatise With Forms 2d Edition (Thomson Reuters West 2008 & 2018 Cum. Supp., www.ianballon.net ) and the earlier first edition, which has been cited in state and federal court opinions. He is also the author of The Complete CAN-SPAM Act Handbook (West 2008) and The Complete State Security Breach Notification Compliance Handbook (West 2009). In addition, Mr. Ballon serves as Executive Director of Stanford University Law School's Center for E-Commerce and serves as a member to the consultative group to the American Law Institute's Principles of the Law, Data Privacy project. He previously served as an Advisor to the American Law Institute’s Intellectual Property: Principles Governing Jurisdiction, Choice of Law, and Judgments in Transnational Disputes (ALI Principles of Law 2007).

Mr. Ballon has been named one of the top 100 lawyers in California and has been recognized as one of the Top 75 intellectual property litigators in California by the Los Angeles and San Francisco Daily Journal in every year that the list has been published, from 2009 through 2018. He also was named the Lawyer of the Year for technology law in 2018 and for information technology law in the 2019, 2016, and 2013 editions of The Best Lawyers in America. In 2018 and 2019, he was named one of the top 10 Cyber/Artificial Intelligence Lawyers in California by The Daily Journal, was recognized in World Trademark Review’s “WTR 1000,” in 2018 as a leading trademark attorney in California for trademark litigation, and named to the 2018 Lawdragon 500 Leading lawyers list. In 2017, he was selected as an “Intellectual Property Trailblazer” by the National Law Journal and named a “Groundbreaker” by The Recorder in its 2017 Litigation Departments of the Year awards for winning a series of TCPA class action suits. Mr. Ballon was recognized as the 2012 New Media Lawyer of the Year by the Century City Bar Association. In 2010, he was the recipient of the California State Bar Intellectual Property Law section's Vanguard Award for outstanding legal professionals who are spearheading new developments in the world of intellectual property. Mr. Ballon was listed in Variety's Legal Impact Report: 50 Game-Changing Attorneys (2012) and was recognized as one of the top new media lawyers in the United States by CyberEsq. magazine, one of the 100 most influential lawyers in California by California Law Business, one of the top 100 lawyers in L.A. by the Los Angeles Business Journal, a Northern California Super Lawyer (every year from 2004 through 2018), one of the top 50 IP Litigators in California and one of the top 25 copyright, trademark and patent lawyers in California by The Daily Journal. He is listed in Legal 500 U.S., The Best Lawyers in America in the areas of intellectual property and information technology and in the Chambers and Partners USA Guide in the areas of privacy and data security as well as IT and outsourcing.

Mr. Ballon is admitted to practice in California, the District of Columbia and Maryland and before the U.S. Supreme Court and multiple U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeal. He also has been elected to membership in the American Law Institute and holds the CIPP/US certification from the International Association of Privacy Professionals.

Recognition & Leadership

Awards & Accolades

•Named, Daily Journal, one of the 75 Top IP Litigators in California, 2009-2020
•Named, Daily Journal, one of the Top Cyber/Artificial Intelligence Lawyers in California, 2018-2019
•Listed, World Trademark Review, WTR 1000, 2018-2020
•Ranked in California, Enforcement and Litigation, 2018-2020
•Listed, San Francisco Magazine, Northern California Super Lawyer, 2004-2019
•Listed, Managing IP Magazine's World IP Handbook and Survey, IP Stars, 2013-2020
•Listed, The Best Lawyers in America, Information Technology Law; Technology Law, 2001-2020
•Listed, Lawyer of the Year in Information Technology Law, Los Angeles, 2013, 2016, 2020
•Listed, Lawyer of the Year in Technology Law, Los Angeles, 2018, 2020
•Listed, Lawyer of the Year in Information Technology Law, San Jose, 2019
•Listed, Los Angeles' Best Lawyers, 2012
•Listed, The Legal 500 United States, 2007-2019
•Listed, Lawdragon 500, Leading Lawyers in America, 2018
•Honoree, The National Law Journal, Trailblazer Award, Intellectual Property, 2017
•Recipient, Lexology's Client Choice Award, IT & Internet: California, 2017
•Listed, Chambers USA Guide, 2009-2016
•Listed, Chambers Global, Privacy & Data Security (USA), 2008-2016
•Listed, The International Who's Who of Internet & eCommerce Lawyers, 2008-2014
•Recipient, “Groundbreaker” Award, The Recorder’s 2017 Law Departments of the Year Awards, San Francisco
•Recognized, Los Angeles Business Journal, Most Influential Lawyers: Digital Media and E-Commerce Law, 2014
•Listed, Variety, Legal Impact Report: 50 Game-Changing Attorneys, 2012
•Recipient, New Media Lawyer of the Year Award, Century City Bar Association, 2012
•Recognized, Los Angeles Business Journal, Who's Who in L.A. Law: Angelenos to Know in Intellectual Property Law, 2012
•Recipient, Vanguard Award, State Bar of California Intellectual Property Law Section, 2010
•Listed, IAM 250 - The World's Leading IP Strategists, 2009-2010
•Recommended, PLC Which Lawyer?, 2009 Yearbook
•Listed, Los Angeles Daily Journal, list of Top Verdicts for obtaining the third largest plaintiff's verdict in California, 2008
•Named, Daily Journal, one of the 50 Top IP Litigators in California, 2008
•Named, Daily Journal, one of the Top 100 Lawyers In California, 2008
•Listed, Los Angeles Magazine, Southern California Super Lawyer, 2007-2008
•Named, Technology, Media and Telecommunications Expert Guide, one of the world's leading lawyers, 2005-2006
•Named, Daily Journal, one of the top 25 copyright, trademark and patent lawyers in California, 2003
•Named, California Law Business, one of the 100 most influential lawyers in California, 2001
•Listed, Daily Journal's magazine, one of 16 top new-media lawyers in the United States, 2001
•Named, California Law Business, one of the top 20 California Lawyers under the age of 40, 1999
•Rated, AV Preeminent 5.0 out of 5.0