Ian C Ballon

Practice Areas

Intellectual Property Litigation

Data, Privacy & Cybersecurity

Media & Entertainment Litigation

Class Action Litigation

Technology, Media & Telecommunications

Appeals & Legal Issues

Video Games & Esports

Trade Secrets

eDiscovery & eRetention

Career

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, cybersecurity breach, adtech and behavioral advertising, TCPA and other Internet-related class action suits. Please click here to view a list of some of his recent cases.

Mr. Ballon, who splits his time between the firm's Silicon Valley, L.A., and D.C. offices, is the author of the five-volume legal treatise, E-Commerce and Internet Law: Treatise With Forms 2d Edition (West 2008 & 2020 Cum. Supp., www.ianballon.com) and the earlier first edition, which has been cited in state and federal court opinions. In addition, he serves as the Executive Director of Stanford University Law School’s Center for the Digital Economy. He also chairs PLI's annual Advanced Defending Data Privacy, Cybersecurity Breach and TCPA Class Action Litigation conference. Mr. Ballon previously served as an advisor to ALI’s Intellectual Property: Principles Governing Jurisdiction, Choice of Law, and Judgments in Transactional Disputes (ALI Principles of the Law 2007) and was a member of the consultative group for the Data Privacy Principles of Law project (ALI Principles of the Law Data Privacy, 2020).

Mr. Ballon was named the Lawyer of the Year for Information Technology Law in the 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2016, and 2013 editions of Best Lawyers in America and was recognized as the 2012 New Media Lawyer of the Year by the Century City Bar Association. In 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, and 2018 he was recognized as one of the Top 1,000 trademark attorneys in the world for his litigation practice by World Trademark Review. In addition, in 2019 he was named one of the top 20 Cybersecurity lawyers in California and in 2018 one of the Top Cybersecurity/Artificial Intelligence lawyers in California by the Los Angeles and San Francisco Daily Journal. He received the “Trailblazer” Award, Intellectual Property, 2017 from The National Law Journal and he has been recognized as a “Groundbreaker” in The Recorder’s 2017 Litigation Departments of the Year Awards for winning a series of TCPA cases. In addition, he was the recipient of the California State Bar Intellectual Property Law section's Vanguard Award for significant contributions to the development of intellectual property law. He is listed in Legal 500 U.S., The Best Lawyers in America (in the areas of information technology and intellectual property) and Chambers and Partners USA Guide in the areas of privacy and data security and information technology. He 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 (2009 through 2021). He was also listed in Variety’s “Legal Impact Report: 50 Game-Changing Attorneys” (2012), was recognized as one of the top 100 lawyers in L.A. by the Los Angeles Business Journal and has been listed as both a Northern California and Southern California Super Lawyer.

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 has also been elected to membership in the American Law Institute and holds the CIPP/US certification from the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP).

Professional Memberships

Advisory Board, International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP), Privacy Bar, 2019 to present

Advisory Board, Stanford University Law School's Program in Law, Science and Technology, 2007 to present

Executive Director, Stanford University Law School’s Center for the Digital Economy, 2002 to present

Chair, PLI’s Annual Advanced Defending Data Privacy and Security Breach Class Action Litigation Conference, 2017 to present

Member, American Bar Association Cybersecurity Legal Task Force, 2017 to 2020

Fellow, The American Bar Foundation

Contributor, IAPP’s CCPA Online Training Module 2: CCPA Scope: Am I affected and what should I do?

Leadership Council Member, RAND Institute for Social Justice, 2010 to 2014

Consultative Member, American Law Institute Principles of the Law, Data Privacy Project, 2016 to the present

Advisor, American Law Institute International Jurisdiction Project, 2002 to 2007

Council Member (and previously Computer and E-Commerce Division Co-Chair), American Bar Association Section of Science and Technology, 2003 to 2005

Member and contributing author, American Bar Association Cyberspace Jurisdiction Project. The committee's "Report on Global Jurisdictional Issues Created By Information Technology Networks" and proposals for new international standards were published in London, England in July 2000

Co-Chair, Internet Subcommittee, ABA Section of Litigation, Intellectual Property Litigation Committee, 1997 to 2000

Programs Chair, ABA Section of Litigation, Computer and Online Litigation Committee, 1995 to 2001

Member, GRAMMY® Foundation's Entertainment Law Initiative Advisory Committee, 2005 to 2010

Editorial Board, The Cyberspace Lawyer, The Journal of Internet Law, E-Commerce Law Report and The Privacy and Information Law Report

Member, American Bar Association

Elected to membership in the American Law Institute

Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/US), International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP)

Publications

Listed, Chambers USA Guide, 2009-2016, 2022

Listed, Chambers Global, Privacy & Data Security (USA), 2008-2016

Personal

Education

LL.M., Georgetown University Law Center.

J.D., The George Washington University Law School, 1986; Articles Editor (1985-1986) and Member (1984-1985), The George Washington Journal of International Law and Economics.

B.A., Economics and Political Science, magna cum laude, Tufts University, 1983.