Thomas J. Mihill (TJ)
TJ Mihill is a Member in the firm's Atlanta office where his practice focuses on intellectual property, business law and litigation, construction, fiduciary law, and estate and probate matters. TJ is experienced in arbitration, mediation and negotiation as well as traditional litigation. As a licensed neutral, he has mediated over 150 cases. He is a member of the firm's Intellectual Property & Technology Service Group.
TJ represents individuals and corporations in the registration of copyrights and trademarks, as well as handling trademark and copyright infringement claims, trade secret violations, and cybersquatting actions. He is particularly active in internet and video game law. In addition to representing video game designers and game design companies, TJ has litigated infringement actions in state and federal courts on behalf of authors, artists, and musicians. He also represents clients in licensing and royalty disputes.
TJ represents clients in litigation, mediation, and arbitration at the state and federal level, both throughout Georgia and nationwide. His practice covers a wide variety of business litigation issues, including actions to enforce or defend against restrictive covenants, professional liability, shareholder disputes, and various breach of contract, tort, and fraud actions. TJ also practices in the area of real property law with experience in premises liability actions, easement issues, and commercial and residential landlord/tenant disputes.
Additionally, TJ represents contractors, subcontractors, and property owners in construction disputes, including actions relating to mechanic's and materialmen's liens. He has handled numerous defective construction claims from initial compliance with the Georgia Right to Repair Act through arbitration or trial.
AI & Copyright (Intellectual Property Breakout)
Speaker, 2024 DRI Business and Intellectual Property Litigation Super Conference, Philadelphia, PA, March 20-22, 2024
Georgia's Right to Repair Act and What it Means to Your Clients
co-speaker, Construction Law for the General Practitioner, State Bar of Georgia, January 26, 2024
Copyright, trademark, and licensing for artists
Speaker, Alpha Arts Guild, Alpharetta, GA, September 11, 2023
What Does Title IX Say About Trans Students in Sports?
co-speaker, Dragon Con, Atlanta, September 3, 2023
Copyright and AI
Moderator, Dragon Con, Atlanta, September 2, 2023
SMART Act: Mandated Copyright Filters
Dragon Con, September 4, 2022
Importance of Digital Ownership in the Metaverse
Dragon Con, September 3, 2022
Social Media, Censorship, and the First Amendment
Dragon Con, September 3, 2022
Virtual/Streaming Programming as a Means of Marketing
Dragon Con, September 1, 2022
When Can a Trademark Owner Take Action for Unauthorized Use of its Trademark Online?
myLawCLE.com, July 29, 2022
NCAA v. Alston: How the Recent Supreme Court Ruling has Transformed College Sports
co-speaker, 2022 DRI Business Litigation and Intellectual Property Litigation Super Conference, Houston, TX, March 22, 2022
Louisville law firm announces big growth in Atlanta
by Jason Thomas, Louisville Business First, January 27, 2022
Stites & Harbison Grows Its Atlanta Office with the Addition of Owen Gleaton Attorneys
FranklinIs, January 25, 2022
19 Attorneys Move to Stites & Harbison, Rapidly Growing Atlanta Team
by Jacob Polacheck, Daily Report, January 25, 2022
From Counter-Culture to Copyright: Tattoos and IP Law
ABA Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Committee Newsletter, Winter 2018
Net Neutrality
Electronic Frontiers Georgia, 2017
Skin Deep: Copyright Issues in a Tattoo Culture
State Bar of Georgia IP Section, 2017
Lawsuit against Techdirt
Dragon Con EFF Track, 2017
Journalism & Freedom of the Press in the Trump Era
Dragon Con EFF Track, 2017
Star Athletica v. Varsity Brands
Dragon Con EFF Track, 2017
Legal, Litigation & Security Issues of Self-Driving Cars
Dragon Con EFF Track, 2017
FBI v. Apple vs. Grey Hats and the Future of Encryption
Dragon Con EFF Track, 2016
Revenge Porn and Reputation Destroying Sites
Dragon Con EFF, 2016
CISA Cybersecurity Provisions in the 2016 Omnibus Budget Bill
Dragon Con EFF Track, 2016
Employee and Officer Exposure to Construction Claims
Construction Law for the General Practitioner, 2015
Network Neutrality, the FCC, and Title II
Dragon Con EFF Track 2015
Legal and Practical Business Issues for Mobile Game Developers
Dragon Con EFF Track, 2015
Digital Millennium Copyright Act - Hacking Automobiles and Other Vehicles
Dragon Con EFF Track, 2015
Legal Issues for eBook Authors and Publishers
Dragon Con EFF Track, 2015
Employee and Officer Exposure to Construction Claims
Construction Law for the General Practitioner, 2009
Revenge Porn and Reputation Destroying Sites: An Update
Dragon Con EFF Track, 2014
Trademark Law Update
Dragon Con EFF Track, 2014
Documentary: Terms and Conditions May Apply
Dragon Con EFF Track, 2014
Aereo Supreme Court Case
Dragon Con EFF Track, 2014
Trademarks Without Borders: The Struggle to Establish Geographical Rights for Common Law Trademarks Used Online
Landslide Magazine, 2014
Trade Secrets
Computer Games and Virtual Worlds, 2010
Employee and Officer Exposure to Construction Claims
Construction Law for the General Practitioner, 2009
Employee and Officer Exposure to Construction Claims
Construction Law for the General Practitioner, 2015
Georgia Game Developers Association, Secretary, Board of Directors
Boy Scouts of America, Committee Chair for Troop 2319; District Committee Chair for the Foothills District
Georgia Entertainment Gala, Host Committee (2012-17)
The Commerce Club
magna cum laude
Georgia State University College of Law
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Law Review, Associate Editor
University of Central Florida
Prior to joining Stites & Harbison, TJ was with a small litigation and corporate firm based in Atlanta, Georgia.
Georgia Super Lawyers® Rising Star (2009-14)
Avvo, 10.0 rating
USPTO to Do a Deep Dive on Deepfakes
The United States Patent and Trademark office (“USPTO”) has stated that it will be holding a roundtable on August 5, 2024, to address whether current laws are sufficient to protect individuals from the unauthorized reproductions of their voice, image, or likeness commonly referred to as “deepfakes.” Attorney TJ Mihill takes a look at the what the USPTO is looking for in this Stites & Harbison Client Alert.
Is That Tattoo Infringing? The Complicated Copyright Questions Surrounding Tattoos
Tattoos have been at the core of several copyright cases over the last few years. One of the earliest well-known examples was a suit by Mike Tyson’s tattoo artist over the use of Tyson’s face tattoo design in the movie The Hangover Part II, which settled out of court in 2011. However, several more recently undecided cases have raised issues tied to tattoos and copyright infringement. TJ Mihill takes a look at this issue in the latest Stites & Harbison Client Alert.
Construction Law for the General Practitioner
Time: 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
State Bar of Georgia, 104 Marietta Street NW, 3rd Floor, Atlanta, Georgia 30303
Atlanta attorney TJ Mihill will be a speaker at this State Bar of Georgia seminar on January 26, 2024.
IP vs. PR: Lessons From the Dungeons and Dragons Open Game License Controversy
Wizards of the Coast, LLC (“WOTC” or “Wizards”) and its parent company Hasbro, Inc. (“Hasbro”) recently found themselves facing unexpected backlash from their attempt to modify an existing license agreement which they had in place with content creators, the Open Game License (OGL), which allowed those creators to use game mechanics and other elements from the Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) table-top role playing game. IP attorney TJ Mihill takes a look at what's going on.
The Twelve Days of I.P. Christmas
As we come to the end of the year, the members of the Intellectual Property and Technology group at Stites & Harbison took time to reflect upon some of the amazing things that have occurred in the world of Intellectual Property. In a light-hearted review of some of our favorite finds from 2022, please enjoy our own take on the classic carol, "The Twelve Days of Christmas."
Dragon Con
Hyatt Regency Atlanta, Atlanta Marriott Marquis, Hilton Atlanta, Sheraton Atlanta Hotel, and the Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel, Atlanta, GA
Atlanta office attorney TJ Mihill will be a speaker at this year's Dragon Con being held September 1-5 in Atlanta.
When Can a Trademark Owner Take Action for Unauthorized Use of its Trademark Online?
Time: EST: 12:00 - 2:10 PM / CST: 11:00 - 1:10 PM / MST: 10:00 - 12:10 PM / PST: 09:00 - 11:10 AM
IP attorneys TJ Mihill and Julie Comer will speak at this myLawCLE webinar on July 29, 2022.
2022 Business Litigation and Intellectual Property Litigation Super Conference
Hyatt Regency Houston, 1200 Louisiana Street, Houston, Texas 77002
Atlanta office attorney T.J. Mihill will be a speaker at this conference being held in Houston, Texas, March 21-23, 2022.