Stephan Kinsella

Stephan Kinsella, a retired attorney and libertarian writer in Houston, is a leading libertarian legal theorist and opponent of intellectual property law. He was previously General Counsel for Applied Optoelectronics, Inc., a partner with Duane Morris, and adjunct professor at South Texas College of Law Houston. 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 intellectual property law and international law, and various areas of libertarian legal theory, including rights and punishment, contract theory, and intellectual property policy. Libertarian-related publications include Legal Foundations of a Free Society (Papinian Press, 2023) and Against Intellectual Property (Mises Institute, 2008). His legal publications include International Investment, Political Risk, and Dispute Resolution: A Practitioner’s Guide (Oxford, 2020) and Louisiana Civil Law Dictionary (Quid Pro Books, 2011).

Kinsella is a member of the Judicial Committee of the Libertarian Party (2022–2026), a member of the Editorial Board of Reason Papers (2009–), Founder and Director of the Center for the Study of Innovative Freedom (2010–present), was Founder and Executive Editor of Libertarian Papers (2009–2018), a Senior Fellow of the Ludwig von Mises Institute (2009–2013), and served as Chair of the Computer Law Subcommittee of the Federalist Society’s Intellectual Property Practice Group.