R. Whitney Johnson
Experience
R. Whitney "Whit" Johnson is a partner of the firm practicing in the Technology and
Intellectual Property (IP) group. He concentrates his practice on providing patentrelated services including U.S. and foreign patent procurement, patent portfolio
management and strategic counseling. His practice encompasses patent preparation
and prosecution, patent opinions, due diligence investigations, audits, pre-litigation
patent analysis and trademark procurement. In addition to advising clients on
developing, protecting, and utilizing intellectual property rights, Whit counsels clients
on intellectual property licensing and other transactions involving intellectual
property assets. He also counsels clients on intellectual property litigation matters.
Whit worked as a systems engineer for Northrop Grumman Space Systems Division in
Azusa, California. He also worked as a summer associate at Finnegan Henderson
Farabow Garrett & Dunner in Reston, Virginia, 2006, and as a summer associate at
Stoel Rives LLP in Salt Lake City, Utah, 2005-2006.
Representative Work
Partner
Salt Lake City, UT
(801) 578-6907 direct
(801) 578-6999 fax
Patent Procurement and Portfolio Management

Represents large and small software companies, computer hardware companies,
medical device companies and safety equipment companies, ranging from
Fortune 500-sized to start-ups, managing worldwide patent estates. Experience
includes preparation and prosecution of U.S. and international patents, patent
whit.johnson@stoel.com
Education

University of Utah, J.D., 2007
portfolio management and strategic counseling.
Order of the Coif
CALI Award recipient
Patent Opinion Practice

S.J. Quinney College of Law,
Provides noninfringement, invalidity and freedom-to-operate opinions; product
College of Law Outstanding
Achievement Award Recipient
clearance analysis; due diligence investigation; and guidance regarding designing
Articles editor, Utah Law Review,
around patents.
2006-2007
Best Appellant Brief, Best Appellee
Brief and Semifinalist at the AIPLA
Technology Areas

Giles Sutherland Rich Memorial Moot
Computer software technologies and business methods including media content
Court Competition, Western Regional,
2006
distribution, Internet commerce, cloud computing, web applications, software as
a service (Saas), mobile applications, computer networking, user interfaces,
heads-up displays, social networking, speech synthesis and video games.

Computing hardware technologies including semiconductor devices, electronics,
low power always listening (LPAL) systems and network security devices.


University of Utah, B.S., 2003,
Computer Engineering

University of Utah, B.S., 2003,
Computer Science
Mechanical and electro-mechanical technologies, including automotive safety
systems and optical systems and bar code scanning.
Admissions

Utah

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
Languages

Portuguese
R. Whitney Johnson

Medical devices including transcatheter cardiac repair devices, vascular access technologies, catheters, stents, inflation systems
and tissue repair technologies.
Professional Honors and Activities

Judge, Utah Entrepreneur Challenge, 2010-present

Mentor, Wayne Brown Institute, 2011-present

Board Member, University of Utah College of Engineering Alumni Association, 2009-present

Board Member, Salt Lake County Economic Development Revolving Loan Fund (EDRLF) Advisory Committee, 2014-present

Listed in the 2011 Utah Business "Legal Elite"

Member, Intellectual Property Section of the Utah State Bar

Member, American Intellectual Property Law Association
Presentations

Co-Presenter, "Intellectual Property for Entrepreneurs." Student Entrepreneurs Conference, eBay Inc., Oct. 29, 2013

Co-Presenter, "Bilski Round Two: What Is Patentable in Light of the Supreme Court's Recent Decision?," Stoel Rives LLP, Salt Lake
City, Utah, Nov. 18, 2010

Co-Presenter, "Business Organization: The Right Structure for the Right Idea," Student Entrepreneurs Conference, University of
Utah, Oct. 30, 2010

"Intellectual Property: It's Not Just For Lawyers," Student Entrepreneurs Conference, University of Utah, Nov. 7, 2009

"Are Software and Business Methods Still Patentable After In re Bilski?" Intellectual Property Series, Salt Lake City, Utah, Jan.
22, 2009
Publications

"Before the Deal: Architecture of Intellectual Property Due Diligence," The Enterprise, Aug. 13-17, 2012

"From Patent Pending to Patent Holding," The Enterprise, Oct. 13-17, 2008

"Trademark for Creating a Kid-Friendly Cyber-Playground on the Internet," Utah Law Review 465, 2006