Stites & Harbison brings patent expertise to Bioworks

The Memphis Daily News/The Memphis News

Dec. 11, 2013

In an effort to enhance expertise in patent cases among U.S. district judges, the 10-year Patent Pilot Program went into effect assigning patent cases to 14 federal district courts in 2011. The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee was one of those courts chosen.

Seizing upon this opportunity and to expand on their 240 attorneys in 10 offices in five states, the law offices of Stites & Harbison PLLC has opened in the Bioworks Foundation building in the University of Tennessee-Baptist Research Park in the Medical District. Founded in 1832, it is one of the oldest and largest firms in the Southeast.

“We have existing clients that are either here or do business here, so it was kind of a natural spot to expand for us,” said attorney Richard Myers of the move into Memphis.

The first patent infringement lawsuits in the Western District courts were filed in February 2012 by Stites & Harbison on behalf of client Multilayer Stretch Cling Film Holdings Inc., the maker of the cling film wrapped around goods to keep them secure during shipping.

In addition to the local clients and the Patent Pilot Program was the advantage of attorney Cong “Connie” Ding, “a great combination of our strengths,” said Myers, who is based in Nashville. While “the goal is clearly to have a full-service office,” he continues, right now Ding is the only onsite attorney.

Ding, who has been with the firm for about nine months, had been with Harris Shelton Hanover Walsh PLLC, but her background goes much deeper and is an asset to the patent work done by Stites & Harbison. She was a medical doctor at Beijing Xiyuan Hospital in Beijing, China, and moved to the United States and Michigan State University for the Molecular Biology Master’s Program. St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital brought her to Memphis as a researcher . . . (read more)