NK Patent Law, helping innovative startups and established technology companies protect and exploit their intellectual property assets as a competitive advantage, has opened a new office in the Wake Forest Innovation Quarter section of Winston-Salem.

The Albert Hall location is the third North Carolina office for the growing firm as it seeks to support the explosion of innovation and entrepreneurship in the City of the Arts.  

“Less than three percent of issued patents by Winston-Salem based inventors are handled by Winston-Salem located patent boutique law firms,” Justin Nifong, co-founder of NK Patent Law, said, adding, “Over and over, the feedback we’ve received from business leaders in the Triad is that a leading patent law firm is needed to support the growing entrepreneurial community.  We are happy and excited to be part of the growth of Winston-Salem.”

For Nifong, who grew up in Winston-Salem and earned his J.D. from the Wake Forest University School of Law, regular travel between Raleigh and Winston-Salem to visit family and work with Triad-based clients has allowed him to witness the growth of tech-based entrepreneurism in his hometown first-hand.

"There continues to be a substantive effort to grow a vibrant innovation community in Winston-Salem. It’s really an exciting time for our firm to be a part of such a creative and stimulating environment,” he said.

The Winston-Salem operation will be led by patent attorney Joseph Shin, whose focus is on preparing and prosecuting patent applications in a wide range of technologies including biomedical devices, pharmaceutical compounds, biotechnology, mobile devices, telecommunications and software, while counseling clients on general intellectual property matters including providing patentability, validity, and freedom-to-operate opinions. In addition to his law degree, Shin holds a degree in biomedical sciences, and joins NK Patent Law after a two year stint as an Attorney for the International Trade Commission, where he helped adjudicate intellectual property disputes for US based companies.

In addition to their legal degrees, NK Patent Law attorneys also have extensive experience in the entrepreneurial community, including former roles as in-house counsel for established innovative companies and as counsel for many startups that have been funded and/or acquired. This type of background provides a unique perspective in drafting and protecting quality patent applications, focusing on how legal needs mesh with business demands of their clients.

NK Patent Law has been serving small, medium, and large businesses across the United States with patent, trademark, and other intellectual property services since 2013. Headquartered in Raleigh, the firm maintains a satellite office in the First Flight Venture Center in RTP, as well as the new office in Winston-Salem.

Its services include U.S. and foreign patent prosecution, patentability, infringement, and validity opinions, licensing, due diligence, maintenance, patent portfolio development and management; license agreements, joint development agreements, other IP monetization contracts and agreements, and trademark related services.

For more information visit www.nkpatentlaw.com or call the Winston-Salem office at (336) 793-8275.

About NK Patent Law
NK Patent Law helps innovative startups and established technology companies protect and exploit their intellectual property assets as a competitive advantage. Practice groups include mechanical, electrical, biotech, medical devices, software, chemical, renewable energy, nuclear energy, intellectual property agreements and trademarks. NK Patent Law is committed to drafting and protecting quality claims that create value for their clients, focusing on how legal needs mesh with business demands. The firm’s experienced and enthusiastic attorneys share a high level of technology expertise and an entrepreneurial spirit, priding themselves on working with each client as a part of their company to help build success. NK Patent Law serves clients from Silicon Valley to RTP, with offices in tech-heavy Research Triangle Park and Raleigh, as well as the Wake Forest Innovation Quarter section of Winston-Salem. Visit www.nkpatentlaw.com for more information.