John Winemiller is a seasoned trial attorney and valued counselor to businesses and individuals. He handles all manner of IP litigation in trial and appellate courts across the United States. He assists clients with the acquisition, management, and enforcement of trademark portfolios. And he advises clients about their marketing and advertising claims. At Merchant, John is the managing partner of the firm’s Knoxville office and serves as the firm’s Chief Diversity Officer.
John has represented clients in a broad range of industries, from electrical switches, medical devices, and pet products to fashion, furniture, and home building. He has secured favorable trial and pre-trial results and significant settlement wins in disputes in courts of all levels. Beyond IP, he has extensive experience with commercial litigation, contract and agreement work, and alternative dispute resolution. His ability to understand and articulate complex concepts in a way that decision-makers can understand helps him assist his clients in protecting their most important business 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 interest in theories of the 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 American Intellectual Property Law Association, Tennessee Bar Association, the Tennessee Intellectual Property Law Association, and the Knoxville Bar Association. He served two five-year terms as an appointed Commissioner for Knoxville’s Community Development Corporation, the city’s public housing and development authority. He is a current or past member of numerous civic boards, including the Tennessee Justice Center, the Newberry Consort, the Big Ears Festival, the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, the Knoxville Jazz Orchestra, and Positively Living.
John frequently represents individuals, arts groups, and civil rights groups on a pro bono basis, and is a sought-after writer, speaker, and teacher on intellectual property matters. In his spare time, John enjoys reading, hiking, travel, art of all forms, and live performance.