John S. Harmon

John S. Harmon, PhD

Shareholder | Mechanical Technologies
617.646.8307 John.Harmon@WolfGreenfield.com LinkedIn Profile

Education

  • BS, Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, summa cum laude
  • PhD, Materials Science & Engineering, California Institute of Technology
  • JD, Suffolk University Law School, summa cum laude

Key Technologies

  • Robotic Systems and Controls
  • Medical Devices
  • Additive Manufacturing
  • Battery Systems and Materials
  • Renewable Energy Systems
  • Sports and Consumer Products
  • Microfluidics
  • Materials  
  • Machine Learning 
  • Ultrasonic and Optical-based Sensing 
  • Autonomous Vehicles 
  • Hydraulic Systems and Controls

Practice Groups

Admitted to Practice

  • Massachusetts
  • US Patent and Trademark Office

Location

  • Boston

Overview

John Harmon’s practice includes worldwide intellectual property counseling including patent prosecution, product clearance analysis, diligence, agreements, and general intellectual property counseling.

John represents clients in industry and academia ranging from venture-backed start-ups to large corporations and academic institutions in a wide range of technologies related to the mechanical, materials, and chemistry fields. John’s strong technical skills combined with his deep knowledge of patent law and industry allows him to align client business goals with specific IP strategies crafted to meet those goals. 

Representative technologies that John has dealt with include medical devices, microfluidics, micro and macroencapsulation systems for biologic compounds and cells, additive manufacturing, optics and imaging systems, sports and consumer products, active suspension systems, autonomous vehicles and systems, robotics, polymer processing methods, metallurgy, battery systems and materials, and renewable energy systems.

Prior to joining Wolf Greenfield, John was a consultant with a focus on batteries, medical devices, consumer products, and general materials issues. During his graduate studies at the California Institute of Technology, John conducted research in materials processing and characterization of metallic glasses and composite materials.


Experience

  • Developed and executed an IP strategy to capture the foundational technology for a start-up in the battery field prior to facilitating a successful acquisition by a Fortune 500 company. 
  • For a pharmaceutical client, performed in depth diligence studies, including patentability and clearance studies, to support the acquisition of a groundbreaking biological therapeutic system that was acquired by the client for nine figures. Has since then helped to mine the existing portfolio to craft claims to cover the new commercial product envisioned by the client and prepared patent applications to cover the new technology developed by the acquired company in a way that covers the envisioned commercial product.
  • Took over prosecution of a patent portfolio for a consumer product client who was unhappy with the level of service and results provided by prior counsel. Quickly evaluated the portfolio and helped to develop an overall portfolio strategy that leveraged the client’s existing IP to cover the current commercial product as well as set up a road map for developing robust patent protection for the company’s planned developments going forward.
  • A client in the medical device field was developing a new surgical instrument in a litigious field. Interfaced with the design team regularly and supported the design process with landscape and clearance analyses that guided the final design of the device to avoid potential infringement issues.   
  • When a client in the prosthetic robotic limb field was sued by a large multinational competitor, worked with the client's technical team to develop arguments related to non-infringement and invalidity of the multiple patents asserted against the client which resulted in a favorable settlement for the client.

Activities

John is actively involved in the entrepreneurial scene in Boston. He serves as a board member for The eForum (formerly the MIT Enterprise Forum). The eForum is dedicated to providing coaching and mentoring programs for entrepreneurs and showcases emerging tech to inspire innovation.


Recognition

  • Repeatedly named to the list of Massachusetts Rising Stars by Super Lawyers

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