J. Kenneth Hoffmeister

Assistant:

Megan Fee
mfee@merchantgould.com
865.380.5964

Education

Bar Admissions

Professional Affiliations

Ken Hoffmeister practices intellectual property law with an emphasis on patent and trademark prosecution and counseling clients regarding patent and trademark matters. He has prepared and prosecuted patent applications, both domestically and abroad, for a wide variety of inventions in the electrical, electromechanical, software, medical, computer, and mechanical fields. Some of the many technology areas in which Ken has experience are electronic animal training devices, communication systems, analog and digital signal processing, optics, vibration analysis, spectrometry, nuclear power plant instrumentation, medical devices, nuclear medicine, radioisotope production, dental devices, business methods, and map technologies. He has extensive experience conducting telephonic and in person interviews with United States Patent and Trademark Office examiners and has handled appeals to the United States Patent and Trademark Office Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences, including oral argument before the Board.

Ken also counsel clients on intellectual property protection, management, enforcement, and defense. In his counseling practice, Ken analyzes and prepares opinions on patent and trademark clearance issues, patentability, and intellectual property due diligence issues. He also prepares, negotiates, and advises clients about agreements involving intellectual property, computer, and internet issues such as confidentiality, licensing, web site terms of use and privacy policies, and intellectual property ownership. Ken's patent prosecution and counseling benefits from his litigation experience, which includes analyzing infringement, validity, and enforcement issues, drafting motions and briefs, advising on claim construction issues, and participating in Markman hearings.

Ken is an adjunct professor at the University of Tennessee College of Law, where he currently teaches a practical course on patent application drafting and prosecution. He has served as a co-coach of the University of Tennessee College of Law Patent Moot Court Team since 2009, including the national championship team that took first place at the 37th Annual Giles Sutherland Rich Memorial Moot Court Competition in 2010, the school's second year of participation. He is a former member of the Board of Directors and past President of the Tennessee Intellectual Property Law Association.

Education

University of Tennessee
B.S. Electrical and Computer Engineering

University of Tennessee College of Law
Doctor of Jurisprudence

Bar Admissions

Tennessee State Bar
United States Patent and Trademark Office
United States District Court, Eastern District of Tennessee
United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
United States Supreme Court

Professional Affiliations

Knoxville Bar Association
Tennessee Bar Association
Tennessee Intellectual Property Law Association
American Intellectual Property Law Association