Stephen Zralek helps clients resolve disputes over their intellectual property: copyrights, trademarks, counterfeit goods, trade secrets and rights to publicity.  His clients range from individuals including television personalities and performing arts celebrities to businesses ranging in size from small entrepreneurs to TimeWarner.  His cases cover everything from music, film, furniture and software to shapes of water bottles, knock-off hardware and beauty supplies, and canine dental chews.

Stephen has been named one of 30 “Best of the Bar” attorneys in Middle Tennessee by his fellow attorneys, an honor which he has received three times, in 2010, 2009 and 2007.  He is Co-Chair of the Copyright Litigation Committee of the American Bar Association.

Upon graduation from law school, Stephen had the privilege of serving as a judicial clerk to the Honorable Thomas A. Wiseman, Jr., Senior Judge, U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee.  Stephen has been published by and/or quoted in the Tennessean, the Tennessee Bar Journal, the Nashville Bar Journal, the Nashville Business Journal, the Tennessee Law Review, Landslide (an ABA publication), and Managing IP (an international IP publication).

A native of Nashville, Stephen co-founded WaterCooler, a networking group for young entrepreneurs that meets monthly.  He serves as the Chair of Nashville for All of Us, a community coalition focused on inclusiveness issues, which successfully defeated an English Only ordinance in 2009, and which won the first-ever Peggy Stein Memorial Award for Human Rights Collaboration, given by Community Nashville (formerly National Conference of Christians and Jews).  He is a board member for Conexion Americas and previously chaired the Board of Directors of Family & Children’s Service.   

• Capital Confirmation, Inc. v. AuditConfirmations, LLC, 2009 WL 3673046 (M.D. Tenn. Nov. 2, 2009).
• Capital Confirmation v. AuditConfirmations, LLC, 2009 WL 2823613 (M.D. Tenn. Aug. 28, 2009).
• Specific Software Solutions, LLC v. Institute of WorkComp Advisors, LLC, 615 F. Supp. 2d 708 (M.D. Tenn. 2009).
• Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders' and Exhibitors' Association v. National Walking Horse Association, 528 F. Supp. 2d 772 (M.D. Tenn. 2007).
• Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders' and Exhibitors' Association v. National Walking Horse Association, 2007 WL 325774 (M.D. Tenn. Jan. 31, 2007).
• Curtis 1000, Inc. v. Martin, 2006 WL 2981305 (M.D. Tenn. Oct. 16, 2006).
• Spurlock v. Whitley, 79 Fed. Appx. 837 (6th Cir. 2003).
• LensCrafters, Inc. v. Sundquist, 184 F. Supp. 2d 753 (M.D. Tenn. 2002).
• Ragsdale v. City of Memphis, 70 S.W.3d 56 (Tenn. Ct. App. 2001).

•  Successful representation of sculpture artist in copyright and trade dress infringement dispute.
• Ongoing representation of national pet supply company in trade dress dispute over packaging.
• Ongoing representation of major entertainment figure in right of publicity dispute.
  
• Successful representation of music producer in dispute over property credits.
• Ongoing representation of television celebrity in music copyright dispute.
• Ongoing representation of client in international counterfeit goods dispute.
• Successfully obtained dismissal for lack of personal jurisdiction over client where jurisdiction was claimed to be based on limited internet activity in Tennessee.
• Successful defense of international furniture designer in copyright and trademark infringement lawsuit.
• Successful representation of a horse registry in a case asserting copyright infringement of a database as well as a trademark infringement.
• Ongoing representation in trademark dispute between two companies seeking exclusive rights to the same name.
  
• Successful representation of national plastics producer in trade secret case.
• Successful defense and dismissal of trademark infringement lawsuit involving an Internet content provider.
• Local counsel to international music company in copyright infringement lawsuit.
• Successful defense and dismissal of corporate officers in shareholder dispute of a closely held corporation.
• Representation of a visual artist in a domain name and trademark infringement dispute with a country music entertainer.
  
• Successful outcome for recording artists against other musicians who assigned trademark of group name, but who failed to honor agreement.
• Ongoing defense of a log home designer and manufacturer in multiple lawsuits around the country asserting copyright infringement over home designs.
• Ongoing representation of merchandiser in trademark matters.
• Ongoing representation of national t-shirt designer in day-to-day trademark advice.
• Representation of regional auto auction in lawsuit against former executives who have breached non-compete agreements and have departed with trade secrets.
  
• Ongoing representation of large regional architectural/engineering firm in protection of its trade secrets and campaign finance activities.
• Successful representation of computer technology firm against executive who departed with trade secrets.
• Successful defense of franchisee in trademark infringement lawsuit.

• "Succeeding on a Non-Profit Board," 2008, Young Leaders Council Opening Class
• "Campaign Finance for Corporations," 2006, Campaign Finance for Corporations Conference
• "Campaign Finance for Judges." 2006, Davidson County Judges' Monthly Meeting
• "E-discovery Changes to Federal Rules of Civil Procedure." 2006, Nashville Bar Association Intellectual Property Committee
• "Impolite Dinner Conversation: Let's Talk Money & Politics," 2005, Nashville Bar Association Continuing Legal Education
• "Campaign Finance: Serious Business." 2005, Tennessee Democratic House Caucus Retreat
• "Campaign Finance for Unions," 2004, Tennessee Unions
• "How are Modern Political Campaigns Financed." 2004, Vanderbilt University Virtual School
• "Understanding & Applying the ADA," 2003, Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis LLP Seminar for Employers