Grell & Watson Patent Attorneys

Atlanta-based Grell & Watson Patent Attorneys will open a satellite office in Knoxville through
an established partnership with TreisD. The office will operate from TreisD headquarters in the
Innovation South building of the University of Tennessee Research Park at Cherokee Farm.
Grell & Watson founder Mat Grell is a registered patent attorney with extensive experience in
intellectual property law.

“We are thrilled to announce plans of opening our new branch office of Grell & Watson Patent
Attorneys in Knoxville,” Grell said. “We look forward to delivering expert patent and trademark
services while providing dedicated guidance and support to inventors and startups at the
university and throughout the regional area.”

Grell served as a licensing officer at the Michigan State University Office of Intellectual Property,
where he managed technology portfolios and marketed inventions for licensing. He later
advanced to senior licensing officer and patent attorney at the University of California system’s
Office of Technology Transfer, overseeing a large portfolio of inventions across engineering and
physical sciences, negotiating licenses and handling patent matters for the university system’s
Department of Energy (DOE) labs.

Before starting Grell & Watson in 2008, Grell joined university-based startup Movaz Networks
as vice president and general counsel, playing a key role in building its IP portfolio, raising
approximately $150 million in venture funding and navigating corporate legal functions until the
company’s successful sale to German optical networking firm ADVA in 2006.

Grell & Watson currently operates in Georgia, North Carolina and Texas, adding Tennessee to its
service area through its relationship with TreisD’s innovative 3D image capture, display and
printing company. TreisD opened its headquarters at UT Research Park in September 2025 and
is preparing its manufacturing facility at Eastbridge Business Park in Mascot, in the northeast
sector of Knox County, to begin production.

“Our goal is to continuously strengthen the ecosystem of resources available to startups and
innovators at the UT Research Park,” Cherokee Farm Development Corporation (CFDC) President
and CEO Brett Malone said. “The addition of experienced intellectual-property professionals
operating within the park further expands the support infrastructure available to emerging
companies as they grow and commercialize new technologies.”

TreisD’s core technology creates digital replication of the human visual system using proprietary
software and imaging algorithms, micro-optics and a growing large vision model (LVM) AI 3D
image library. Initial offerings of this technology will deliver superior-quality printing of
enhanced 3D security, anti-counterfeiting and brand protection tools and packaging, as well as
consumer and collectible materials, on TreisD’s unique micro-optical lens material. The optical
polymer material used for this technology will be produced at the Mascot manufacturing facility.
“I’ve worked with Mat for several years as a world-class patent attorney,” said Leslie “Jerry” Nims,
TreisD chairman and founder. “Mat’s experience in securing the most federal funding for
research and patent development at an academic institution at Cal Berkley, along with his work
at Michigan State and in the private sector, makes him an invaluable asset as an extension of the
TreisD research and development team. We are excited to bring his expertise more formally to
our headquarters at UT Research Park for our company and beyond, as we believe this area will
become a national innovation center.”

Grell works closely with TreisD on the company’s portfolio of intellectual property comprising its
3D capture, display and printing abilities as well as related AI and proprietary algorithms and
additional applications.

“Having Grell & Watson’s pedigree and expertise in Knoxville is a game-changer for technology
start-ups, innovation and potential economic growth for our region and our state,” said David
W. Long, attorney and chairman of Long, Ragsdale & Waters, P.C., in Knoxville. “We look forward
to having Grell & Watson work with our clients and with other companies and law firms in
Tennessee. Grell & Watson’s decision to locate an office in Knoxville is yet another indication of
the sophistication of local companies.”

For more information about TreisD, go to treisdcorp.com. To learn more about Grell & Watson,
visit gwpatentattorney.com.

Knoxville, TN    (865) 226-3386  
Atlanta I-85        (678) 202-5990  
Atlanta I-75 & Downtown (404) 596-7333
Charlotte             (704) 625-7747 
Raleigh                (919) 825-3309
Dallas                  (214) 702-5247   
Fort Worth          (817) 500-0705
Austin                  (737) 255-5100   

Related Pages:

  • Patent Search – US search at US PTO records room & written opinion
  • Provisional Patent – Preparation and filing of US provisional patent applications
  • Patent Application – Preparation and filing of US patent applications (regular/non-provisional)
  • Design Patent – Preparation and filing of US design patent applications

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