Samuel C. Merritt

• Counsel for one of the nation’s most prestigious professional golf tournaments, representing the client on trademark enforcement issues (before the TTAB and otherwise) and advising it on global trademark portfolio management issues.
• Represented a global chemical manufacturing and engineering company in offensive district court litigation against a distributor of chemical products.  
• Represented a leading manufacturer of flooring products against a competitor in USPTO proceedings.  
• Represented a national drywall manufacturer in district court litigation and USPTO proceedings relating to additives used in drywall manufacturing.  
• Represented a global cellular infrastructure equipment supplier as an intervenor in eight co-pending district court cases and USPTO proceedings relating to 4G network infrastructure and devices.
• Represented complainant Nokia against Apple in ITC action involving cellular device design and operation.  
• Represented a global automotive supplier in patent litigation against a manufacturer of personal navigation devices in the Eastern District of Michigan.  
• Represented a leading manufacturer of retail merchandise security systems against an importer of foreign goods in the Northern District of Texas.  

Sam Merritt is a senior associate in the firm’s Intellectual Property Litigation Group who is admitted to practice in North Carolina and is registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.  He concentrates on complex patent litigation before district courts and the U.S. Patent Trial and Appeal Board at the USPTO.  Sam also counsels clients on enforcement and management of their trademark portfolios, often representing their interests before the U.S. Trademark Trial and Appeal Board.  

He received his J.D. from Michigan State University, a B.S. in mechanical engineering from Penn State, and a B.S. in nuclear engineering from Penn State.

Bar Admissions

• North Carolina
• U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

Education

• Michigan State University (J.D., 2014)
• Pennsylvania State University (B.S., 2009)