Patentability Searching & Opposition Studies
J&B Partners was set up in 2010 by Steven Johnson and Vedran Biondic to provide a high quality client-focussed service. With expertise in chemistry, life sciences and mechanical and electrical engineering technologies, our searchers have worked for large independent search companies for a number of well-known clients on a national and international scale.
We have a significant amount of experience in patentability searching, opposition/validity studies and infringement and freedom to operate searching, utilising the most up to date patent databases and non-patent literature resources.
We can link patent and scientific literature with commercial data to complete landscape and patent mapping studies to help clients answer business questions and understand different technology areas. Members of the team are also well practised in conducting design and trademark searches through a number of different territories around the world.
FOUNDER’S BIOGRAPHIES
Steven Johnson
Head of Chemical and Life Sciences Research
Steven studied Chemistry for four years at the University of Oxford to obtain a MChem (Hons) Degree, including a supplementary subject in molecular aspects of biochemistry and biophysics. He then went on to gain the MSc in Management of Intellectual Property from Queen Mary and Westfield College, University of London which included the CIPA/ITMA foundation level professional qualifications. Steven has worked in the chemical search section of two large private patent searching companies where he was a senior searcher at RWS Information and had a major role in building a search team in the UK for CPA Global. Steven has over 12 years’ experience working with clients large and small, providing a tailored service to meet each individual’s needs. He is well versed in using online databases, such as Chemical Abstracts and Derwent databases through STN for keyword, sequence and structure searching, as well as subscription databases and the resources of the British Library. On top of providing search services Steven also works closely with clients to provide an insight into searching in general and has run a number of workshops to explain more on the art and science of patent searching to give a better understanding of the work we do.
Vedran Biondic
Head of Engineering Science Research
Vedran studied Aerospace Engineering for five years at the University of Zagreb to obtain a Dipl. Ing. (MEng) Degree including a project at the Paul Scherrer Institute in Switzerland. Upon graduating he was employed at the same university as a Research Assistant in the field of machine design, fatigue and stress analysis. Vedran has worked as a Patent Searcher for two large private search firms in London and has over 10 years’ experience. Vedran has experience providing searches for the aerospace, mechanical and automotive industry, as well as searches for medical devices, electronic elements and other more general devices. Vedran is highly experienced at providing registered design and TM searches through worldwide jurisdictions and is our expert in Asian searching, having attended specialist conferences and produced a company handbook on searching through Chinese, Japanese and Korean territories, amongst others.
