Craig N. Killen is a partner of Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP in Columbia where his practice focuses on intellectual property litigation, portfolio management, and strategic counseling.  Mr. Killen has been involved in intellectual property litigation in multiple jurisdictions throughout the United States, including South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, Texas, Wisconsin, Illinois and California.

Mr. Killen has extensive experience in the analysis of patent and trademark infringement, validity and avoidance. He also prepares and prosecutes patents and trademarks throughout the world, and assists clients in copyright matters.

Mr. Killen has assisted clients in the fields of radar; signal processing; electronic components; neural networks; e-commerce and business methods; software-based inventions; electric motors; mechanical components; guidance and navigation, electronic ignition, optical measurement, and electronic monitoring systems. He frequently counsels clients on the strategic aspects of obtaining and maintaining intellectual property portfolios, including the determination of which aspects of a client’s business and product lines should be protected for maximum benefit. 

A member of the South Carolina Bar, Mr. Killen is admitted to practice before the U.S. Courts of Appeal for the Federal Circuit and Fourth Circuit, and the U.S. District Courts for the Western District of Pennsylvania and the District of South Carolina. He is the past Editor of South Carolina Lawyer magazine, the bimonthly publication of the SC Bar, and currently serves as a member of its Editorial Board.  Mr. Killen is the author of “Developments in Patent Infringement Damages,” South Carolina Lawyer (July/August 1999) and “Intellectual Property is a Business’ Crown Jewels,” South Carolina Business Journal (June 1999). He is co-author of “Protection for Works of Authors; An Overview of Copyright Principles,” South Carolina Lawyer (July/August 1994). Mr. Killen is a member of the American Bar Association and its sections on Intellectual Property and Litigation; and the Carolina Patent, Trademark and Copyright Law Association. Mr. Killen is a registered patent attorney.

In 1991, Mr. Killen earned a Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law where he was a member of the South Carolina Law Review, received an American Jurisprudence Award in Torts II, and won first place in the Nathan Burkin Memorial Competition (copyright law essay competition). Mr. Killen earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Clemson University in 1987.