LBRY Inc., the startup behind a new blockchain-based content distribution platform, now has some serious intellectual and legal muscle on board with the addition of one of the country’s leading experts on intellectual property law.

Stephan Kinsella has joined the executive team of LBRY Inc. as Legal Advisor, helping the company navigate complex US and international copyright laws as they seek to radically upend the media industry.

Stephan Kinsella, J.D. LL.M., Author and IP Attorney

LBRY is the first decentralized, open-source, fully encrypted content distribution service built using the same blockchain technology that underlies Bitcoin. Kinsella was inspired to get involved by the platform’s potential to empower individual content creators, allowing them to connect directly with consumers, thereby cutting out mammoth distribution middlemen like iTunes, Netflix, and YouTube.

“People have asked me to get involved in all manner of projects to help independent artists and consumers avoid the licensing quagmires of the ‘Big Six’ major media companies. It’s a Herculean task. Yet LBRY is amazingly well thought-out and implemented, and I think it might have a shot at really making a difference. I am pleased to be able to help navigate the legal challenges of launching a venture of this scale,” he said.

Kinsella practices as an independent registered patent attorney in Houston. He is the founder and director of the Center for the Study of Innovative Freedom. Kinsella was formerly a partner in the Intellectual Property Practice Group of Duane Morris LLP and served as general counsel for Applied Optoelectronics, Inc. He brings over twenty years’ law firm and in-house experience in patent, IP, and general commercial and corporate law to the LBRY team. Kinsella also maintains a high profile in the academic world, publishing numerous articles and 5 books, including International Investment, Political Risk, Dispute Resolution: A Practitioner’s Guide (Oxford University Press, 2005), and Against Intellectual Property (Mises Institute, 2008).

Kinsella received an LL.M. in international business law from King’s College London, a JD from the Paul M. Hebert Law Center at LSU, and BSEE and MSEE degrees from LSU.

LBRY Technology Evangelist Mike Vine said he was thrilled with the addition of Kinsella to the team, noting that he brings unparalleled legal expertise to the table:

“Stephan Kinsella is exactly the man you want on your team when starting a content revolution. As a distinguished practitioner of IP law and also a fierce critic of its excesses, Stephan understands why the world is ready for LBRY. His advice will be invaluable as we create a marketplace for content unlike any that have come before.”