Patent Attorney Curtis Edmonson to Argue Precedent Setting Case for Cannabis Activist to Change his Name to NJWeedman.com
Los Angeles – On August 26, 2011, nationally known patent attorney Curtis Edmonson of Beaverton, Oregon will argue a momentous case (Trial Court Case: LS020013 / Court of Appeal Case: B227341) in the California Appellate Court on behalf of the equally well known activist, Ed Forchion aka NJWeedman.COM. The parameters of this case just might change legislation and impact the world of new media in an unprecedented manner.
Edmonson is seeking to bring closure to an effort that has engaged Forchion since as far back as 2001. That’s when Ed Forchion, while in prison, first approached the courts with a request to change his legal name to NJWeedman.com. Should Forchion get his way, he will be the first person to ever legally change his name to a ‘dot.com.’
Forchion has been an internationally recognized advocate in the battle to legalize marijuana in the United States for over a decade now. His public displays of civil disobedience are indeed memorable, such as lighting up a joint in front of the New Jersey State Assembly and at the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia.
Yet, nothing in the last decade has deterred Forchion in his determination to change his name to NJWeedman.com. Explains Forchion, “This battle started in New Jersey back in 2001 when I wanted to change my name to NJWEEDMAN.COM Now, over 10 years later, the internet has exploded and the stakes are even higher.”
Edmondson adds, “In this age of internet computing, where people are judged more by their computer profile on a Facebook account than the grip of their handshake, the desired replacement of a person’s ‘actual name’ with their “domain name” is bound to occur.”
Over the last decade, Forchion’s case has been argued and denied in several courts, the most recent occurrence takingplace in Los Angeles last year. After relocating from New Jersey to Los Angeles, Forchion once again petitioned the California Courts to legally change his name to NJWeedman.com. Judge Steele denied him stating the ‘.com’ would be confusing to people and the ownership of dot coms was the property of ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers). Forchion disagreed with the verdict and filed an appeal. He then posted his need for legal assistance on Craiglist.
Forchion, who is a legal resident of California, continues to broaden society’s perception of the so-called ‘pothead.’ He is the founder of the Legalize Marijuana Party of New Jersey and has run previous political campaigns in New Jersey for Governor, U.S. Senate, Congress, the State Legislature, and the Burlington County Board of Freeholders.
To read more about Ed Forchion a/k/a NJWeedman.com and support the cause, go to http://home.njweedman.com/node/118 and http://www.njweedman.com/namechange.htm. To review Forchion’s California appeal brief, check out http://www.njweedman.com/CAnamechange_appeal.pdf. And to keep informed on the activity of NJWeedman go to http://www.NJWeedman.com.
NOTE TO MEDIA: NJWeedman.com is available for interviews. Contact jazzmynepr at gmail
