Bergerson, Stephen R.

Current Employment Position(s)

Chair

Lawyer Overview

Steve chairs the Advertising, Marketing and Trademark Law Group and is also a member and former co-chair of the firm’s Media & Entertainment Group. Recognized as one of the country’s leading advertising, trademark, and entertainment lawyers, Steve created the first Twin Cities practice of its kind in 1974.

His three decades of experience as an industry leader, ad agency executive, professional speaker, Hall of Fame drummer, and author give him a unique understanding of his clients and their business. Steve shares his creativity, insights, and legal expertise with hundreds of marketing companies and advertising, sales promotion, public relations, and design agencies of all sizes, and with many individual authors, songwriters, musicians, artists, television producers, and celebrities throughout the country.

Steve has been involved in the development and registration of over 3,000 trademarks in more than 50 countries. He has authored hundreds of articles on advertising law, spoken to hundreds of ad industry groups, and is nationally-known for a long history of volunteer leadership on important industry legal, ethical, and governmental issues.

Areas of Practice

• Advertising, Marketing & Trademark Law
• Marketing Law
• Copyrights
• Media & Entertainment

Representative Clients

• Barkley Evergreen & Partners
• Business Incentives
• Boston Beer Company
• Bozell Kamstra
• Buffalo Wild Wings
• Campbell-Mithun
• Carlson Marketing Group
• Carmichael Lynch Advertising
• Cash Plus
• Clarity Coverdale Fury Advertising
• Colle & McVoy Marketing Communications
• Donaldson Company
• Gage Marketing
• Greater Mpls. Convention & Visitors Association
• InterMedia.net
• Inter Public Group
• Martin Williams Advertising
• McCracken Books
• NetRadio.com
• Polaris Industries
• Northwest Airlines
• Netradio
• Thomas & Perkins Advertising
• Rapp Collins Communications
• William Eisner and Associates
• Wilson-Griak
• 3M

Bar Admissions

• Minnesota, 1974

Professional Associations and Memberships

• Fredrikson & Byron, P.A. (Co-chair, Advertising, Media & Entertainment Law Group)
• National Advertising Review Board (Member, 1994 - 1998, Special Counsel, 1999)
• American Advertising Federation (Chair, Committee on Ad Standards)
• American Advertising Federation (Member, Committee on Legal Affairs)
• Better Business Bureau of Minnesota (Board Chairman, 1996)
• Advertising Federation of Minnesota (General Counsel)
• Minnesota Association of Independent Commercial Producers (General Counsel)
• Point of Purchase Advertising Institute (Special Counsel)
• American Advertising Federation (Special Counsel)
• Advertising Compliance Service (Member, Editorial Advisory Board)
• Minnesota Advertising Federation (Past President)
• Minnesota Advertising Review Board (Chair)
• American Advertising Federation (Past Chair, Eighth District)
• Four A's Institute for Advanced Advertising Studies (Former Program Coordinator)
• University of Minnesota School of Journalism and Mass Communications (National Advisory Board)
• William Mitchell College of Law (Board of Trustees and Executive Committee)
• Better Business Bureau of Minnesota (Director Emeritus)
• American Advertising Federation (Trademark Counsel)

Honors and Awards

• Award of Excellence, William Mitchell College of Law
• Medal of Merit, American Advertising Federation
• Distinguished Service Award, Minnesota Advertising Federation
• Good Neighbor Award, WCCO Radio
• Torch of Truth Award, Better Business Bureau of Minnesota
• 1990 Top Ten Lateral Hires, Minnesota Lawyer Magazine
• Government Relations Award, Minnesota Advertising Federation
• Who's Who Worldwide
• Who's Who in American Law
• Leading Attorneys, American Research Corp., 1994 - Present
• Fortune Magazine, “America’s Premiere Lawyers” Award 2006
• Minnesota “Super Lawyer (top 5%), 1994 - Present
• Silver Medal Award, Advertising Federation of Minnesota

Classes and Seminars

• Presentation, Minnesota Direct Marketing Association, Annual Conference, Minneapolis Minnesota, April 1994
• Presentation, American Bar Association, Antitrust Section Annual Conference, Washington, District of Columbia, April 1994
• Presentation, Minnesota Commercial and Industrial Photographers Association, Minneapolis, Minnesota, January 1994
• Presentation, Utility Communications International Conference, Bloomington, Minnesota, October 1993
• Presentation, Milwaukee Association of Advertising Agencies, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, October 1993
• Presentation, Minnesota Institute of Legal Education Advertising and Promotion Law Conference, Bloomington, Minnesota, August 1993
• Presentation, National Association of State Lottery Marketing Directors Regional Meeting, Minneapolis, Minnesota, July 1993
• Presentation, Better Business Bureau Annual Meeting, Minneapolis, Minnesota, June 1993
• Presentation, State Bar Association Annual Business Law Institute, Minneapolis, Minnesota, June 1993
• Presentation, Annual Point of Purchase Industry Conference, Orlando, Florida, February 1993
• Presentation, Promotion Marketing Association of America Law Conference, New York, New York, November 1992
• Presentation, American Advertising Federation National Convention, Portland, Oregon, June 1992
• Presentation, American Marketing Association, Minneapolis, Minnesota, January 1992
• Seminar Presenter, Periscope Advertising, June 18, 2008 - Present
• Speaker, AAF National Conference 2008, June 8, 2008 - June 14, 2008
• Speaker, Green Lights & Red Flags: FTC-BBB Rules of the Road for Advertisers, April 24, 2008 - Present
• Guest Lecturer, Mass Communication Law, University of Minnesota, November 8, 2007 - Present
• Lecturer, University of Minnesota and St. Thomas University

Pro Bono Activities

• Various Non-profit Advertising Trade Groups
• Childrens' Cancer Research Fund

Past Employment Positions

• Campbell-Mithun-Advertising, Account Executive, 1970 - 1974

Education

• William Mitchell College of Law, St Paul, Minnesota, 1974
  J.D.
• University of Minnesota, School of Journalism and Mass Communications, Minnesota, 1970
  B.A.

Published Works

• Don't Take Chances: Game Promotions Hold Legal Pitfalls, Utility Communicators Exchange, April, 1994
• Firm Agrees to Corrective Advertising Remedy, Advertising Compliance Service, March, 1994
• Restrictions on Cigarette Ads Unconstitutional, Star Tribune Commentary, January 24, 1994
• Lawyer Ad Bans Show Contempt For Consumers, American Advertising, Winter 1992-1993
• Look-alikes Need Close Scrutiny, The National Law Journal, May 29, 1993
• Back From the Precipice, Advertising Compliance Service, June, 1993
• Advertising and Promotion Guidebook, International Newspaper Association, Summer, 1993
• Lighten Up, Court Tells Energizer It Takes Its Funny Bunny Too Seriously, Ponderings, Spring, 1993
• Lighten Up, Court Tells Energizer It Takes Its Funny Bunny Too Seriously, INFO Magazine, February 1992
• A New Ad Age: The Tax Holiday Is Over, Format Magazine, Spring, 1993
• Open Season on Commercial Speech, Washington Legal Foundation Legal Backgrounder, December 4, 1992
• Open Season on Commercial Speech, INFO Magazine, January, 1993
• Open Season on Commercial Speech, Format Magazine, January, 1993
• Wilkinson Ruling No Shock, Advertising Age, September 28, 1992
• Green Marketing Revolution, Advertising Compliance Service, September 21, 1992
• You Won't Find a Brand in the Dictionary, Ponderings, Volume 11, Number 3, Summer, 1992
• Trademarks: How to Use, Bruise and Lose Them, Editor and Publisher, December, 1991
• Has RICO Gone Wacko?, INFO Magazine, December, 1991
• Advertising Liability: A New Day Has Dawned, American Bar Association Franchise Forum Coursebook, Fall, 1991
• Ad Industry Has Created Its Own Credibility Crisis, Minneapolis Star Tribune, November 25, 1991
• Ad Agencies Get an Unwelcome Reminder, Advertising Compliance Service, August 19, 1991
• Advertising Under Siege, AAF Self-Regulation News, Volume 3, Number 2, June, 1991
• “Licensing Music: It’s Not the Same Old Song", Create Magazine, September/October, 2007
• “Home Depot to Pull ‘Rated #1’ Claims For Behr Paint", July, 2008

Address

200 South Sixth Street
Suite 4000
Minneapolis, MN 55402-1425

Phones

(612) 492-7043

Faxes

(612) 492-7077

Emails

Contact Us

Websites

http://www.fredlaw.com