Bell Nunnally & Martin added depth to its intellectual property practice by hiring Jeffrey Tinker as a partner, the Dallas firm announced on Tuesday.
Tinker practiced for the past 11 years at Winstead. He is a registered patent attorney who also advises on trademark matters, software and technology services agreements and data privacy compliance.
A Dallas native, Tinker says the firm’s roots in the city make it a cultural fit for him. He also says corporate partner Ray Balestri was “instrumental” in convincing him to join. The two have worked on several acquisitions together.
“The IP practice here is growing and thriving, so it was a great opportunity,” he adds.
Tinker notes that one major development in the patent world was the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Alice in 2014. Following the ruling, Tinker had cases for a shopping mall, two software companies and a bank where his team won an outright dismissal or a settlement for little to no money by alleging the patents in question covered ineligible subject matter.
“We are still filing patents for software-related inventions, we just have to be more focused on the technological improvements,” he says. “As frustrating as the Alice decision was for patent owners, it did held weed out a lot of suspect patents.”
The SMU Dedman School of Law alum has developed significant experience advising apartment communities across the country on music licensing issues. Tinker says he has assisted five of the top 10 largest apartment managers and owners on the National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC) rankings.