Nick Williamson’s practice encompasses the protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights, with a focus on patents and trademarks.

A large part of Mr. Williamson’s intellectual property practice concerns patent litigation and counseling. In patent cases, Mr. Williamson has represented leading electronics and engineering firms, advising on a wide range of fields including digital cameras and camcorders, cellular phones, telecommunications links and infrastructure, aircraft systems, digital printing equipment, vending technologies, and others. Mr. Williamson advises clients on patent validity and infringement issues, including patentability and product clearance opinions, and has assisted clients in the filing and prosecution of patent applications in the United States and abroad. His technical background includes board level assembly equipment and materials, as well as semiconductor circuitry fabrication. Mr. Williamson holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Materials Science and Engineering.

In addition to his extensive patent practice, Mr. Williamson also focuses on the adoption, use, prosecution and enforcement of trademarks and service marks. Mr. Williamson regularly handles inter partes proceedings before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board as well as trademark, dilution and unfair competition claims in federal courts. He also negotiates and prepares various assignments and licenses addressing trademark rights. Mr. Williamson’s trademark practice services clients at the forefront of a wide variety of industries, including publishing, electronics and computers, toys and novelties, entertainment, home goods, construction and manufacturing, education, food and beverages, general merchandise, and apparel.

Mr. Williamson’s practice also includes copyright counseling, prosecution, and litigation.

Mr. Williamson also has been involved in various pro bono matters, including assisting nonprofits with intellectual property issues, representing an aggrieved garnishee, landlord/tenant counseling, and incorporating a nonprofit scholarship foundation.

Select Representations

Representative cases on which Mr. Williamson has worked, or is working, include:

• Crane Co. and Dixie-Narco, Inc. v. SandenVendo America, Inc. and Royal Vendors, Inc. (ED Tex.) (Represented Royal Vendors, Inc. in a patent infringement action involving glass-front vendor systems)
• The North Face Apparel Corp. v. Williams Pharmacy, et al. (ED MO)
• Laukus v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., et al. (ND OH) (Defending Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. against allegations of service mark infringement and counterfeiting)
• Metso Minerals Inc. v. Powerscreen International Distribution Limited, et al. (ED NY) (Represented several defendants in a patent infringement case relating to mobile screening equipment)
• Tantivy Communications, Inc. v. Lucent Technologies, Inc. (ED Tex.) (Represented Lucent Technologies, Inc. in a patent infringement action involving 3G CDMA and equipment used in implementing data services over mobile communication links)
• Eastman Kodak Company v. Sony Corporation et al. (WD NY) (Represented the Eastman Kodak Company in a patent infringement action involving over 25 patents concerning digital image data processing, compression, storage and transmission technologies)
• Firepass IP Holdings, Inc. and Firepass Corp. v. The Boeing Company (ED NY) (Representing The Boeing Company in a patent infringement action involving fuel-tank inerting systems)
• Integrated Network Technologies, Inc. v. Ray Allen, Inc. (ND IL) (Represented defendants against claims of copyright infringement, breach of contract, and related issues)
• Leggett & Platt, Inc. v. VUTEk (ED MO; Fed. Cir.) (Represented Leggett & Platt, Inc. in two patent infringement cases relating to large format UV printers)
• Boydstun Metal Works, Inc. v. Cottrell, Inc. (D Or) (Represented Cottrell, Inc. in two patent infringement actions relating to car haulers)
• Meridian Enterprises Corporation v. Bank of America Corporation et al. (ED MO) (Represented Marshall & Ilsley Corp. in a patent infringement action relating to financial business methods)

Bar and Court Admissions

Missouri, 2004

District of Columbia, 2005

United States District Courts for the Eastern District of Missouri, District of Colorado and Eastern District of Texas

Education

Washington University, J.D., Order of the Coif, 2004

Cornell University, B.S., 1999

Civic Involvement and Honors

• Law Clerk to Judge Richard B. Teitelman, Missouri Supreme Court, 2004
• Washington University Board of Trustees, Graduate Student Representative, 2003-2004
• Washington University Law Quarterly