John C. Nipp
Additon, Higgins & Pendleton PA | Charlotte
“I like a good comedy, though nothing is worse than sitting through a bad comedy. I can suffer through a lame blockbuster action movie, but an unfunny comedy, of which there are many, is tough to stomach.”
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Vita: 46; born in Doylestown, Pa., grew up in Jamestown; bachelor’s and law degrees from UNC Chapel Hill and master’s from UNC Charlotte; married with three children.
Why he chose to specialize in this field: My wife, Tracy, practices intellectual-property law and related fields at Lowe’s Cos. I was impressed at what she has been able to accomplish in terms of helping to protect and grow the business, so I decided to focus on the same areas where I help both small and large businesses.
Memorable case: I had a civil case where a man was promoting his adult website by illegally using my client’s famous trademark. We served him with the lawsuit at his residence. He later recounted to me that his wife, who was previously unaware of his activities, was the person who signed for the package. She read all the horrifying details in the complaint before her husband got home. We got a judgment against him, but that may have been the least of this poor guy’s worries.
What he’d be if not a lawyer: A teacher.
Favorite place: Any beach.
Recent reading: The Jericho Deception by Jeffrey Small.
Netflix obsession: Am I the only one without a Netflix account? My daughter seems to think so.
Passions: Five-time NCAA basketball champions UNC Tar Heels and coaching youth sports.
Don’t ask him to: Dance. I tried to step outside my comfort zone by taking social dance as my PE requirement in college. My instructor was left dumbfounded by my two left feet. She wanted to give me a C, but some friends of mine interceded on my behalf and convinced her I was “a good leader.”
2017 Intellectual Property winners:
John C. Nipp, Additon, Higgins & Pendleton PA, Charlotte; Stephen S. Ashley Jr., Ashley Law Firm PC, Charlotte; William M. “Bill” Bryner, Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP, Winston-Salem; William B. “Will” Cannon, Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP, Raleigh; Jeffrey W. Childers, Ward and Smith PA, Raleigh; Arthur J. DeBaugh, Bell, Davis & Pitt PA, Winston-Salem; Darrell A. Fruth, Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard LLP, Greensboro/Raleigh; Steven Gardner, Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP, Raleigh/Winston-Salem; Kimberly Bullock Gatling, Smith Moore Leatherwood LLP, Greensboro; J. Douglas Grimes, Smith Moore Leatherwood LLP, Charlotte; Jack B. Hicks, Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice LLP, Greensboro; Seth L. Hudson, Clements Bernard PLLC, Charlotte; Gregory A. Hunt, Jenkins, Wilson, Taylor & Hunt PA, Durham; Blake P. Hurt, Tuggle Duggins PA, Greensboro; David Kalish, Coats & Bennett PLLC, Cary; Matthew J. Ladenheim, Trego, Hines & Ladenheim PLLC, Charlotte; James L. Lester, MacCord Mason PLLC, Greensboro; Art MacCord, MacCord Mason PLLC, Greensboro; Richard T. Matthews, Williams Mullen, Raleigh; Richard M. McDermott, Alston & Bird LLP, Charlotte; Justin R. Nifong, NK Patent Law, Raleigh; Bentley J. Olive, Olive Law Group PLLC, Cary; John Owen, Coats & Bennett PLLC, Cary; Julie H. Richardson, Myers Bigel PA, Raleigh; Alice Carmichael Richey, Alexander Ricks PLLC, Charlotte; F. Michael Sajovec, Williams Mullen, Raleigh; David W. Sar, Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard LLP, Greensboro; Anup Shah, Troutman Sanders LLP, Charlotte/Raleigh; Andrew R. Shores, Williams Mullen, Raleigh; Michael A. Tobin, Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice LLP, Charlotte; Robert Van Arnam, Williams Mullen, Raleigh; Thomas G. Varnum, Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard LLP, Wilmington; Timothy J. Wall, Myers Bigel PA, Raleigh; W. Swain Wood, Morningstar Law Group, Raleigh