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Thursday, Aug. 13, 2009 | 10:54 a.m.
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A private school sponsored by Las Vegas Sands Corp. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Sheldon Adelson and his wife is suing the operators of a Web site critical of the school, charging trademark infringement and damage to the school's reputation.
The Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson Educational Institute, doing business as the Adelson Educational Campus, filed suit Wednesday in U.S. District Court against Roslyn Goldman and Tobiah Goldman.
The suit says the Goldmans run the Web site www.HebrewAcademyAdelsonECforum.com -- a site the campus says misrepresents an affiliation with the school.
The lawsuit notes the Goldmans' children were formerly students at the Adelson Educational Campus.
"The relationship between the parties has deteriorated since defendants voluntarily withdrew their children from the school," the suit says.
The Las Vegas Sun reported in April in April that Roslyn Goldman’s personality conflicts with staff at the Adelson school's Milton I. Schwartz Hebrew Academy led to the withdrawal of the family's three children from the Summerlin school during the 2007-08 school year, costing the family $30,000 in nonrefundable tuition.
The Sun story is now posted on the Web site at issue in the lawsuit, along with posts such as "The Adelson School tries to control Jewish involvement in Las Vegas!!!"
The "Jewish involvement" post complains that the Adelson campus informed the Jewish Community Center of Southern Nevada that the Goldman children were not welcome on the campus for this year's JCC summer camp, which uses rented facilities at the campus. The children had attended Camp K’helah for the past six years, the post says.
The Web site banner says "Hebrew Academy Adelson Educational Campus" and in smaller type "Let the Discussion Begin."
Roslyn Goldman today denied the Web site misrepresents an affiliation with the Adelson campus and said the lawsuit is an attempt to suppress her First Amendment rights to free speech.
"I'm not surprised" at the lawsuit, she said.
The Web site includes this disclaimer: "In no way is this blog associated with The Hebrew Academy or Adelson Educational Campus. Its sole purpose is to create a forum where people are free to leave there opinions, both positive and negative. The opinions on this blog do not reflect the opinions of The Adelson Educational Campus or any associations."
"It is a blog," Goldman said today. "It is a forum. It is a way for people to voice their opinions."
She called the lawsuit part of "a personal vendetta."
"Blogs are legal -- this is a First Amendment right," she said.
The institute's lawsuit complains that the Web site violates the institute's trademarks, causing confusion as some Web site viewers have thought the site was sponsored by the institute.
The suit also complains about disparaging remarks on the Web site, alleging they are harmful to the reputation of the institute.
"Defendants' Web site intentionally misrepresents the ownership of the copyrighted material on the Web site by stating: 'Copyright 2009 Hebrew Academy Adelson Educational Campus,'" the suit charges.
"The infringing use of plaintiff's (trade)marks as alleged here have resulted in actual confusion to visitors of defendants' Web site who have contacted plaintiff regarding their impression that the Web site is affiliated with, sponsored or owned by, plaintiff," the suit alleges.
"The confusion as to origin and/or sponsorship resulting from the unauthorized use of plaintiff's (trade)marks is particularly harmful due to the offensive and disparaging content posted on the Web site referring to plaintiff and its personnel as "Nazis," "Gestapo" and "Hitler's Germany," the Adelson Institute complains.
The institute is seeking unspecified financial damages.
It asks the court to bar the defendants from using the Internet domain name www.HebrewAcademyAdelsonECforum.com or any other domain name that is likely to confuse viewers into thinking the institute is affiliated with it; using the banner "Hebrew Academy Adelson Educational Campus" in any manner; and using the phrase "Copyright 2009 Hebrew Academy Adelson Educational Campus."
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Oy Vey!!!
Adelson has been a plague on Vegas since he arrived
The Adelsons have been wonderful for the city of Las Vegas ever since they arrived. Their extensive work in the community truly speaks for itself!!!
Harry (sleaze) Reid has been good for Las Vegas ? He is the biggest scumbag around. Everytime someone critcizes the party they are a right wing fanatic. Get him out of office!!!!!!!!
It does seem like Mr. Adelson has been good for the bank accounts of lawyers.
Wow, you have a private school charging 30,000 per year for elementary school. Should save your money for Harvard!
Hey guess what Roslyn, disclaimers mean nothing. Obviously you were one of those pain-in-the-a$$ mothers who couldn't just let the School teach your children. Butting in at every corner and mouthing off to all who would listen. You'll have to rename your blog, pay for keywords on google and hope that someone will care enough to read your pathetic rantings. Better yet, stop all this nonsense and stop putting your children through all this hate and discontent and stress.
Grow up, Mrs. Goldman, no one's children are 'all that'. Let them grow up like kids and keep your big butt-in-ski nose out of it. You think you can do a better job than the school? Then put your rantings where your mouth is and open your own school.
Until Roz learns how and when to keep her big mouth shut she will continue to have these types of problems in her life!!!! I hope Sheldon Adelson is finally the one to teach her this lesson!!!! Or maybe she just needs to be put on Prozac!!
The blog in question has three postings and 21 comments over a period of several months.
I am not Jewish but I have experience with the blogging world and a blog with that kind of non-traffic is not going to hurt anybody's reputation or checkbook.
It's not as if the lady organized a picket line in front of the school.