John Winemiller is an intellectual property attorney, managing partner of Merchant's Knoxville office, and Chief Diversity Officer. 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 Winemiller 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. Before entering private practice, he clerked for federal judges on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee.
John is an active member of several bar associations and serves on committees of the Tennessee Bar Association and the Knoxville Bar Association. He is a member of the Board of Commissioners for Knoxville’s Community Development Corporation, a post to which he was appointed in 2014. He is also a member of the boards of directors for the Big Ears Festival, the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, and the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra. John represents individuals, arts groups, and civil rights groups, pro bono, and is a sought-after writer, speaker, and teacher on intellectual property, civil procedure, and litigation matters. He serves on the strategic planning and diversity committees at the firm. In his spare time, John enjoys reading, historic preservation, music performance, cooking, exercise, and travel.