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About — Stephan Kinsella

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Bio

(Norman) Stephan Kinsella is an attorney and libertarian writer in Houston. He was previously General Counsel for Applied Optoelectronics, Inc., a partner with Duane Morris, and adjunct professor at South Texas College of Law Houston. A registered patent attorney, he received an LL.M. (international business law) from King’s College London, a JD from the Paul M. Hebert Law Center at Louisiana State University (LSU), and BSEE and MSEE degrees from LSU.

He has spoken, lectured and published widely on both legal topics, including intellectual property law and international law, and also on various areas of libertarian legal theory. Libertarian-related publications include Legal Foundations of a Free Society (Papinian Press, 2023), Property, Freedom, and Society: Essays in Honor of Hans-Hermann Hoppe (co-editor, with Jörg Guido Hülsmann, Mises Institute, 2009) and Against Intellectual Property (Mises Institute, 2008). Forthcoming works include Copy This Book: The Case for Abolishing Intellectual Property.

Kinsella’s legal publications include International Investment, Political Risk, and Dispute Resolution: A Practitioner’s Guide (Oxford, 2020); Online Contract Formation (Oceana, 2004); Trademark Practice and Forms (Oxford & West/Thomson Reuters 2001–2013); World Online Business Law (Oxford, 2003–2011); Digest of Commercial Laws of the World (Oxford, 1998-2013); Protecting Foreign Investment Under International Law: Legal Aspects of Political Risk (Oceana Publications, 1997); and Louisiana Civil Law Dictionary (Quid Pro Books, 2011).

Kinsella is a member of the Judicial Committee of the Libertarian Party (2022–26; Chair Jan. 1, 2023–July 31, 2023), a co-founder and member of the Advisory Council for the Open Crypto Alliance (2020–22), a member of the Editorial Board of Reason Papers (2009–), a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of the Molinari Review (2014–), an External Reviewer for The Journal of Policy Analysis (Institute for Youth in Policy) (2021–), a member of the Advisory Board of the Lexington Books (Rowman & Littlefield) series Capitalist Thought: Studies in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (2013–), Founder and Director of the Center for the Study of Innovative Freedom (2010–present), and legal advisor to LBRY (2015–). Previously, he was Founder and Executive Editor of Libertarian Papers (2009–2018), a Senior Fellow for the Ludwig von Mises Institute (2009–2013), a member of the Advisory Council of the Government Waste and Over-regulation Council of the Our America Initiative (2014–2017), Book Review Editor of the Journal of Libertarian Studies (Mises Institute, 2000–2004), a member of the Editorial Board of The Journal of Peace, Prosperity & Freedom (Liberty Australia, 2012–2016), a member of the Advisory Panel of the Center for a Stateless Society (C4SS) (2009–2012), and served as Chair of the Computer Law Subcommittee of the Federalist Society’s Intellectual Property Practice Group.

Contact: nskinsella@gmail.com

Short Bio

N. Stephan Kinsella (LL.M., King’s College London-University of London; JD, Paul M. Hebert Law Center, LSU; BSEE and MSEE, LSU) is a libertarian writer and registered patent attorney in Houston. He was previously General Counsel for Applied Optoelectronics, Inc., a partner with Duane Morris, and adjunct law professor at South Texas College of Law.

Founder and Director of the Center of the Study of Innovative Freedom and Founder and Executive Editor of Libertarian Papers, he has spoken, lectured and published widely on both legal topics, including intellectual property law and international law, and on various areas of libertarian legal theory. His numerous publications include Legal Foundations of a Free Society (Papinian Press, Papinian Press, 2023), Against Intellectual Property (Mises Institute, 2008), Property, Freedom, and Society: Essays in Honor of Hans-Hermann Hoppe (Mises Institute, 2009), and Copy This Book: The Case for Abolishing Intellectual Property (Papinian Press, forthcoming). His legal publications include International Investment, Political Risk, and Dispute Resolution: A Practitioner’s Guide (2d ed., Oxford University Press, 2020) and Louisiana Civil Law Dictionary (Quid Pro Books, 2011).

Contact: nskinsella@gmail.com

Very Short Bio

N. Stephan Kinsella (LL.M., King’s College London-University of London; JD, Paul M. Hebert Law Center, LSU; BSEE and MSEE, LSU) is a libertarian writer and registered patent attorney in Houston. He has spoken, lectured and published widely on various areas of libertarian legal theory and on legal topics such as intellectual property law and international law. His  publications include Legal Foundations of a Free Society (Papinian Press, 2023) Against Intellectual Property (Mises Institute, 2008), International Investment, Political Risk, and Dispute Resolution: A Practitioner’s Guide (Oxford, 2020), and several others.

Contact: nskinsella@gmail.com

Alternate Longer Bio

N. Stephan Kinsella is a libertarian writer and patent attorney in Houston. He was previously General Counsel for Applied Optoelectronics, Inc., a partner with Duane Morris, and adjunct law professor at South Texas College of Law. He received an LL.M. (international business law) from King’s College London-University of London, a JD from the Paul M. Hebert Law Center at LSU, and BSEE and MSEE degrees from LSU, and is licensed to practice before the Texas, Louisiana (inactive), and Pennsylvania (inactive) bars, and is registered to practice before the US Patent & Trademark Office.

A leading libertarian legal theorist, he is Founder and Director of the Center of the Study of Innovative Freedom and was the Founder and Executive Editor of Libertarian Papers. He has spoken, lectured and published widely on both legal topics, including intellectual property law and international law, and also on various areas of libertarian legal theory. His numerous publications include Legal Foundations of a Free Society (Papinian Press, 2023), Against Intellectual Property (Mises Institute, 2008), Property, Freedom, and Society: Essays in Honor of Hans-Hermann Hoppe (Mises Institute, 2009), and Copy This Book: The Case for Abolishing Intellectual Property (Papinian Press, forthcoming).

Stephan’s legal publications include International Investment, Political Risk, and Dispute Resolution: A Practitioner’s Guide (2d ed., Oxford University Press, 2020); Online Contract Formation (Oceana, 2004); Trademark Practice and Forms (Oxford University Press, 2001–2011; West/Thomson Reuters 2011–2013); World Online Business Law (Oxford University Press, 2003–2011); Digest of Commercial Laws of the World (Oxford University Press, 1998-2013); Protecting Foreign Investment Under International Law: Legal Aspects of Political Risk (Oceana Publications, 1997); Louisiana Civil Law Dictionary (Quid Pro Books, 2011), and several others.

Contact: nskinsella@gmail.com

NSK profile 1-full

Background/Personal

I’m from Prairieville, Louisiana, a small town near Baton Rouge. I was adopted. I graduated from Catholic High School in Baton Rouge in 1983, and attended LSU from 1983 to 1991 (B.S. & M.S., electrical engineering, 1987 and 1990; JD, Paul M. Hebert Law Center-Louisiana State University, 1991). I attended King’s College LondonUniversity of London from 1991 to 1992, and received an LL.M. (international business law) in 1992. I’m married; my wife and I have one child.

I have practiced law since 1992, initially with Jackson Walker L.L.P. in Houston (1992-94), in the firm’s oil & gas and intellectual property (IP) sections. I am licensed to practice before the Texas, Louisiana (inactive), and Pennsylvania (inactive) bars, and am registered to practice before the US Patent & Trademark Office. I moved in 1994 to Philadelphia, where I practiced IP law with Schnader Harrison LLP (1994-97), and then with Duane Morris LLP (1997-2000). In late 1997 I moved back to Houston, where I opened Duane Morris’s Houston office and was a partner in the IP Department. In late 2000, I left Duane Morris to become general counsel for one of my clients, Applied Optoelectronics, Inc., a laser manufacturer in Sugar Land. In March 2012 I formed my own law practice, focusing on IP and technology law. I also taught for two years as Adjunct Professor (computer law) at South Texas College of Law.

I’ve been interested in libertarianism since about 1982, due in part to the influence of Ayn Rand and later Rothbard, Mises, Milton Friedman, Henry Hazlitt, Frederic Bastiat, the Tannehills, and Hans-Hermann Hoppe, with Hoppe, Rothbard and Mises being the biggest influences of my current thinking. Since 1991, I have been writing and speaking on topics such as rights theory, legal theory, Austrian economics, anarcho-libertarianism, contract theory, inalienability, property law, causation, intellectual property, and punishment theory. Libertarian-related books include Legal Foundations of a Free Society (Papinian Press, 2023), Property, Freedom, and Society: Essays in Honor of Hans-Hermann Hoppe (co-editor, with Jörg Guido Hülsmann, Mises Institute, 2009); Against Intellectual Property (Mises Institute, 2008). Forthcoming works include Copy This Book: The Case for Abolishing Intellectual Property (Papinian Press, forthcoming).

My legal publications include International Investment, Political Risk, and Dispute Resolution: A Practitioner’s Guide (2d ed., Oxford University Press, 2020); Online Contract Formation (Oceana, 2004); Trademark Practice and Forms (Oxford University Press, 2001–2011; West/Thomson Reuters 2011–2013); World Online Business Law (Oxford University Press, 2003–2011); Digest of Commercial Laws of the World (Oxford University Press, 1998-2013); Protecting Foreign Investment Under International Law: Legal Aspects of Political Risk (Oceana Publications, 1997); and Louisiana Civil Law Dictionary (Quid Pro Books, 2011).

I have delivered speeches and taught on a variety of legal and political topics before various institutions and fora, including the Mises Institute’s Mises Academy, Austrian Scholars Conference, Mises University, and Rothbard Graduate Seminar; the Federalist Society; South Texas College of Law; Yale University; Texas Students for Liberty; New York Liberty Fest; The Adam Smith Institute (Moscow); the International Conference on the Unity of Sciences; HOBY Texas Leadership Seminar; the Liberální Institut; the Property and Freedom Society; New York University School of Law; and various documentaries, radio and television shows, debates, and podcasts; and at locations including Auburn, Alabama; Atlanta, Georgia; Houston; Philadelphia; São Paulo, Brazil; Seoul, Korea; Prague, Czech Republic; Bodrum, Turkey; Austin, Texas; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; California; Arizona; New Hampshire; and New York City. Further information may be found on my Speaking, Teaching and Media page.

I am a member of the Judicial Committee of the Libertarian Party (May 2022–), a co-founder and member of the Advisory Council for the Open Crypto Alliance (2020–22), a member of the Editorial Board of Reason Papers (2009–), a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of the Molinari Review (2014–), an External Reviewer for The Journal of Policy Analysis (Institute for Youth in Policy) (2021–), a member of the Advisory Board of the Lexington Books (Rowman & Littlefield) series Capitalist Thought: Studies in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (2013–), Founder and Director of the Center for the Study of Innovative Freedom (2010–present), and legal advisor to LBRY (2015–). Previously, I was Founder and Executive Editor of Libertarian Papers (2009–2018), a member of the Advisory Council of the Government Waste and Over-regulation Council of the Our America Initiative (2014–2017), Book Review Editor of the Journal of Libertarian Studies (Mises Institute, 2000–2004), a member of the Editorial Board of The Journal of Peace, Prosperity & Freedom (Liberty Australia, 2012–2016), and a member of the Advisory Panel of the Center for a Stateless Society (C4SS) (2009–2012).

Additional Information

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