John T. Winemiller, Ph.D.Partner
EducationUniversity of Tennessee College of Law
J.D., summa cum laude, 2000
Order of the Coif
Editor in Chief, Tennessee Law Review University of Chicago
Ph.D. Music History and Theory, 1994
M.A. Music History and Theory, 1991 Carleton College
B.A. Music History and Theory, magna cum laude, 1988
Bar and Court AdmissionsTennessee State Bar
Eastern District of Tennessee
Middle District of Tennessee
Western District of Tennessee
Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
Professional AffiliationsAmerican Bar Association
American Bar Foundation
Fellow
American Intellectual Property Law Assoc.
Tennessee Intellectual Property Law Assoc.
Tennessee Bar Association
Past Chair, IP Section
Past Chair, Federal Practice Section
Graduate, Leadership Law Class of 2006
Knoxville Bar Association
Knoxville Bar Foundation
Fellow
The Hamilton Burnett American Inn of Court
Pupillage Team Leader, 2015-16, 2016-17
Awards & RecognitionSelected for inclusion in Mid-South Super Lawyers, 2011-2017 Award of Merit Recipient, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children Named as one of Knoxville Top Attorneys by Cityview Magazine for Intellectual Property/Trademarks, 2012-2016 
Publications & SpeakingChair and Speaker, Intellectual Property: CLE Bytes, Tennessee Bar Association, Nashville, April 5, 2017 Chair, A Look at the Executive Order Travel Bans, The Hamilton Burnett American Inn of Court, March 14, 2017 Speaker, Legal and Non-Legal Strategies for Managing Social Media Content, Tennessee Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel, June 8, 2016 Panelist, Ethics Panel, 2016 Tennessee Intellectual Property Law Association Annual Meeting, May 6, 2016 Speaker, Access Your Office from Anywhere, Knoxville Bar Association 2016 Law Expo CLE, Aprill 22, 2016 Speaker, Safeguarding Trade Secrets: Tips and Tools for Identifying, Managing, and Protecting Confidential Business Information, Tennessee Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel, October 28, 2015 John Winemiller: Proposed legislation targets patent trolls, Knoxvillebiz.com, April 7, 2014 Don't Just Stand There; Do Something! Consequences of Pending Anti-Troll Legislation on Pleading Standards, Rule 11, and the American Rule at Knoxville Bar Association CLE Program Lord of the Bling: Trolls, Treasure and Trends in IP Litigation that May Impact Any Client, February 28, 2014 Avoiding that ‘Cease and Desist’ Letter, KBA The Consigliere, Vol. 7, No. 1, Winter 2012 The Endangered Species Act and the Imprecise Scope of the Substantial Effects Analysis, 18 Tulane Environmental Law Journal 159, 2004 Casenote, United States v. Scheffler, 77 Tennessee Law Review 331, 1998 Recontextualizing Handel's Borrowings, 15 Journal of Musicology 444, 1997 Borrowing, Copyright, and Proprietary Authorship, 8 American Handel Society Newsletter 1, 1993
TeachingAdjunct professor, University of Tennessee College of Law
Civil procedure
Pretrial litigation
Leadership & Civic InvolvementChair, Board of Commissioners for Knoxville’s Community Development Corporation
Board Member, Knoxville Symphony Orchestra
Board Member, Knoxville Jazz Orchestra
Board Member, Positively Living
Steering Committee Member, The Performing Arts & Lecture Series (past)
Board Member, The Actors Co-op, Inc. (past)
Judicial ClerkshipsLaw clerk, the Honorable James L. Dennis, Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, 2002-2003 Law clerk, the Honorable Curtis L. Collier, Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee, 2000-2002 John is an intellectual property attorney and the managing partner of Merchant & Gould's Knoxville office. His practice centers on patent, trademark, trade secret, and copyright litigation, but also includes IP licensing issues and trademark, patent, and copyright counseling and prosecution. He has represented clients in a broad range of industries, from electrical switches and electronic pet products, to hosiery manufacturers and home builders. He has secured favorable trial and pre-trial results and significant settlement wins in disputes in federal courts. He also has extensive experience with commercial litigation, alternative dispute resolution, and appeals in state and federal courts. His ability to understand and articulate complex concepts in a way that decision-makers can understand helps him to proactively and effectively assist his clients in protecting their intellectual property assets. Prior to becoming a lawyer, John received an M.A. and Ph.D. in music history and theory from the University of Chicago, where he taught before joining the faculty of the State University of New York at Stony Brook. John's academic research focused on the nexus between the creative process and eighteenth-century conceptions of intellectual property. His fascination with the theory of ownership of ideas led him to law school and, ultimately, to Merchant & Gould. Before entering private practice, he clerked for federal judges on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and the Eastern District of Tennessee. John is a member of the Board of Commissioners for Knoxville’s Community Development Corporation, a post to which he was appointed by Knoxville’s mayor, Madeline Rogero, in 2014. He is also a member of the boards of directors for the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra and the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra. John represents individuals, arts groups, civil rights groups, and disability advocacy groups pro bono, and is a sought-after writer, speaker, and teacher on intellectual property, civil procedure, and litigation matters. He serves on the diversity committee at the firm and is a member of diversity organizations. In his spare time, John enjoys reading, historic preservation, music performance, cooking, exercise, and travel. Representative CasesObtained judgment as a matter of law following jury trial in patent infringement lawsuit involving electronic pet containment and training systems. Radio Systems Corporation and Innotek, Inc. v Tom Lalor and Bumper Boy, Inc., U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington, Case No. 2:10-cv-00828. Obtained no-payment multi-case settlement following close of plaintiff’s proof in bench trial in trademark infringement lawsuit involving electronic containment fences for dogs. Invisible Fence, Inc. v Fido’s Fences, Inc., U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Tennessee, Case No. 3:09-cv-00025. Represented advertising agency in copyright infringement action, positioning case for favorable settlement. Served as a court-appointed special master in a contentious lawsuit involving a local utilities district and its CEO's retirement-benefits package. Obtained the dismissal of a $1.5 million economic damages claim in a product liability action against a Fortune 100 manufacturer, resulting in a quick settlement on favorable terms. Represented a Fortune 250 environmental services provider in million-dollar municipal contract dispute and a national engineering services firm in a million-dollar construction fee dispute. His efforts positioned both cases for settlement on favorable terms. Also in 2009, John was part of a trial team that obtained a directed verdict for a financial services company sued for fraud and violation of the consumer protection act. Represented an internet retailer in defense of a Lanham Act suit involving alleged cybersquatting. He obtained a partial dismissal, which positioned the case for settlement on favorable terms. Kaiya Eve Couture LLC v. My Trendy Girl, Inc., Case No. CV 07-6294 (C.D. Cal., dismissed June 19, 2008). Obtained summary judgment for a Fortune 250 insurance broker in a multimillion-dollar coverage dispute. Anderson Tully Co. v. Federal Ins. Co., Aon Risk Servs., Inc. of Missouri and Aon Fin. Servs. Group, Inc., Case No. 05-cv-02627 (W.D. Tenn., judgment entered Sept. 24, 2007). The decision was upheld on appeal. Anderson-Tully Co. v. Aon Risk Servs. of Missouri, Inc., Aon Fin. Servs. Group, Inc., No. 08-5524 (6th Cir. Sept. 23, 2009). Also in 2007, John obtained judgment on the pleadings in a personal injury action against a Fortune 25 pharmaceutical company. McCandless v. Pfizer, Inc. et al., Case No. 06-cv-051 (Tenn. Cir. Ct., dismissed Feb. 5, 2007). Obtained a favorable jury verdict for a nationwide book wholesaler in a contract dispute. American Book Co. v. Fortner, Case No. 163506-2 (Tenn. Ch. Ct., judgment entered June 2, 2006). Obtained summary judgment for a Fortune Global 500 company in a million-dollar contract dispute. Triple H Distributing, Inc. v. Henkel Corp. et al., No. 2:04-cv-02108 (W.D. Tenn., judgment entered Mar. 18, 2005). Represented an internet company in the prosecution of a Lanham Act claim against a cyber squatter. The court's order granting his jurisdictional motion established precedent in the Sixth Circuit for service of process via email against cyber squatters. See Popular Enterprises v. Webcom Media Group, Inc., 225 F.R.D. 560 (E.D. Tenn. 2004). |
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