Ivan’s practice involves preparing and prosecuting patent applications in the mechanical and software arts, as well as rendering opinions regarding infringement, freedom-to-operate, and patentability. Before entering the practice of law, Ivan performed work as a product manager for a large international welding and technology company where he collaborated with Research and Development to develop welding product technology. Ivan also draws on international experience while working for a global industrial gas producer where he worked as an applications engineer focusing on steel reheating technology, and as an account manager where he assessed market opportunities for steel reheating, cryogenic food freezing, and welding process technologies.

Ivan also earned his M.B.A. at the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University. Through his work experience and education, Ivan brings the ability to collaborate with clients by qualifying their needs relative to their overall business strategy, and assessing proposed technologies for inventive attributes that may advance their business strategy and competitive advantage in the marketplace.

More specifically, Ivan’s experience includes:

• Drafting utility patent applications in the mechanical and software arts
• Preparing design applications for ornamental designs
• Drafting appeal briefs when appealing decisions made by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
• Performing research to assess the competitive intellectual property landscape associated with proposed technological features
• Preparing freedom-to-operate opinions in the mechanical and software arts
• Conducting legal research for patent infringement litigation; preparing notice letters concerning the infringement of registered trademarks

Ivan earned his J.D. from the University of Akron School of Law, where he served as an Assistant Editor of the Akron Law Review and as a Board Member and Treasurer of the Intellectual Property and Technology Law Association. During law school, Ivan received the CALI award for Legal Drafting, Patent Office Litigation, IP Practicum, and International Patent Law.

Ivan also earned his B.S. in Industrial and Systems Engineering from the Ohio State University.

Ivan is currently a member of the Cleveland Intellectual Property Law Association (CIPLA) and also a member of the Association of Croatian American Professionals (ACAP). Ivan is bilingual in English and Croatian.