N. Stephan 'Norman' Kinsella

(Norman) Stephan Kinsella is a registered patent attorney in Houston. Formerly a partner in the Intellectual Property Practice Group of Duane Morris LLP and General Counsel for Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. (2000–2012), he has over thirty years’ law firm and in-house experience in patent, IP, and general commercial and corporate law. He has extensive patent prosecution experience in computer, electronics, software, optoelectronics, oil & gas, and other technology, for clients such as Intel Corporation, Lucent Technologies, Agere Systems, General Electric, Motorola, Thomson Consumer Electronics, Sarnoff Corporation, Applied Optoelectronics, Inc., Burr-Brown/Texas Instruments, Schlumberger, Baker Hughes, and UPS.

He received an LL.M. (international business law, 1992) from King’s College London-University of London; a JD (1991) from the Paul M. Hebert Law Center-Louisiana State University; and MSEE (1990) and BSEE (1987) degrees from Louisiana State University. He is licensed to practice before the Texas, Louisiana (inactive), and Pennsylvania (inactive) bars, and is registered to practice before the US Patent Office.

Kinsella has taught as Adjunct Professor of computer law at South Texas College of Law, and served as Chair of the Computer Law Subcommittee of the Federalist Society’s Intellectual Property Practice Group, on the Board of Directors, Houston Chapter, The Federalist Society (1997–99) and Editor-in-Chief/Founding member, PBA IP Law Section [archived] Newsletter, 1997–98; was Senior Fellow, Ludwig von Mises Institute (2009–2013), and was a member of Tau Beta Pi (Engineering Honor Society) (LSU Chapter President, 1987) and Eta Kappa Nu (Electrical Engineering Honor Society) (LSU Chapter President, 1987).

He has published numerous articles and books about IP law, international law and other topics, and is an author or editor of: International Investment, Political Risk, and Dispute Resolution: A Practitioner’s Guide (2nd ed., Oxford University Press, 2020; 3rd ed. forthcoming 2026), Legal Foundations of a Free Society (Papinian Press, 2023), Trademark Practice and Forms (Oceana/Oxford, 2001–2011; West/Thomson Reuters 2011–2013), Against Intellectual Property (Mises Institute, 2008), World Online Business Law (2003-2011), Digest of Commercial Laws of the World (Oceana/Oxford 1998–2011; West/Thomson Reuters 2011–2013), Online Contract Formation (Oceana 2004), Protecting Foreign Investment Under International Law: Legal Aspects of Political Risk (Oceana 1997), and Louisiana Civil Law Dictionary (Quid Pro Books, 2011). Forthcoming books include Copy This Book: The Case for Abolishing Intellectual Property (Papinian Press, forthcoming).