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Nikia Gray

is a Partner in the Intellectual Property Group of Quarles & Brady, LLP. Nikia devotes most of her practice to district court litigation, particularly high-stakes competitor litigation, in the areas of patent, trademark, copyright, and unfair competition. She also has extensive expertise with administrative proceedings before the United States Patent and Trademark Office, including Inter Partes Review and Post-Grant Review, and a thriving trademark and patent prosecution practice.

As a trusted advisor, Nikia provides strategic counseling to clients in the acquisition, protection, and monetization of their patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets. Nikia also counsel clients on strategies to avoid disputes, including performing due diligence and policy review.

For more information, or to contact Nikia, please visit her firm profile page.

Recent Articles by Nikia Gray

Sovereign Immunity of Patents: While a Strong Benefit to Patent Owners, These Patents Remain Subject to Traditional Challenges

The United States Patent Trial and Appeal Board (“PTAB”) recently dismissed another inter partes review (“IPR”) based on an assertion of 11th Amendment sovereign immunity.  This decision demonstrates the willingness of the PTAB to permit State agencies (such as public universities, medical schools, and research centers) to effectively shield their patents from the threat of post-grant proceedings at the PTAB.  While this is certainly a benefit to entities that can take advantage of sovereign immunity, it does not completely insulate government-held patents from any validity challenge, as more traditional approaches of invalidating patents still remain viable avenues for those accused of infringement.