Seth Nehrbass, Patent Attorney – New Orleans Patents

Seth M. Nehrbass, Patent Attorney

Education
- Loyola University, School of Law, New Orleans, LA (J.D. Cum Laude 1990)
  - Law Review
  - Moot Court
- Patent Academy, U.S. Department of Commerce, Arlington, VA (1983)
- Patent Examiner Initial Training Course, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Arlington, VA (1982)
- University of Southwestern Louisiana (now University of Louisiana at Lafayette), Lafayette, LA, (B.S. Summa Cum Laude 1982, Major: Physics, Minors: French and Mathematics)
- Université Paul-Valéry, Montpellier, France (1981)
- Université Catholique de l’Ouest, Angers, France (1980)

Professional Experience
- 1998-Present: Patent Attorney with Garvey, Smith & Nehrbass, Patent Attorneys, L.L.C., New Orleans Office
  - Primary responsibilities include: meeting with clients and preparing and prosecuting U.S., international, and foreign patent applications on mechanical, electrical, and chemical inventions; rendering opinions regarding patentability, validity, and infringment; litigation, including drafting pleadings, researching, preparing briefs and memoranda, and arguing at hearings; preparing and prosecuting trademark applications; trademark acquisitions; acting as an expert witness in patent infringment litigation and other intellectual property litigation; assisting clients with licensing and marketing of inventions.
- 1990-1998: Patent Attorney with Pravel, Hewitt & Kimball, New Orleans Office
- 1987-1990: Patent Agent with Pravel, Gambrell, Hewitt, Kimball & Krieger, New Orleans Office
- 1986-87: Patent Agent with New Orleans law firm.
- 1982-84: Patent Examiner with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (Art Unit 253). Primary responsibility was determining the patentability of inventions in the semiconductor and electrolytic capacitor fields.

Admitted to Practice
- Supreme Court of the United States (1999)
- United States Patent & Trademark Office in patent cases (1984)
- Supreme Court of Louisiana (1990)
- United States District Courts for the Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts of Louisiana (1990)
- United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (1990)
- United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (1990)
- Notary Public, State of Louisiana (1991)

Practice Areas
- Patents
- Trademarks
- Copyrights
- Trade Secrets

Professional and Other Activities
- American Bar Association:
- Section of Intellectual Property Law (formerly the Section of Patent, Trademark and Copyright Law) (1988-Present)
- Co-Chairman, Young Lawyers Committee (1998-1999)
- Law Student Committee (Chairman, 1996-1998; Member, 1989-1998)
- Co-Chairman, Annual Meeting Arrangements Committee (1993-1994)
- Special Committee on the Drug Crisis (Chairman, 1990-1993)
- International Treaties and Laws Committee (1994-present)
- Law Student Division Liaison to the Section of Patent, Trademark and Copyright Law (1988-1990)
- Section of Law, Science and Technology (1988-1991)
- Young Lawyers Division (1990-1996)
- American Intellectual Property Law Association (1992-2000)
- ADR Committee (1994-2000)
- International and Foreign Law Committee (1994-2000)
- Patent Law Committee (1994-2000)
- Audubon Boulevard Parkway, Inc., President (2010-present)
- East Jefferson Business Association (2008-present); Board member (2009-2017); First Vice President (2011-2012); President (2012-2013)
- Gulf Coast Patent Association (2010-present); Vice President (2011-present)
- Jefferson Bar Association (2009-present)
- Louisiana State Bar Association (1990-present)
- Intellectual Property Law Section (Chair, 1999-2000; Chair-elect, 1998-1999; vice-chair, 1997-1998; member, 1996-present)
- International Law Section (1992-1994, 1996-present)
- Section on Antitrust and Trade Regulation Law (1991-1994)
- Solo and Small Firms Section (2008-present; Vice-Chair 2011-present)
- Animal Law Section (2010-present)
- Arts, Entertainment & Sports Law Section (2010-present)
- Louisiana Bar Foundation – Fellow 2009-present
- Louisiana Center for Law and Civic Education
- Advisory Committee Member (1996-1998)
- New Orleans Bar Association (1990-present)
- Chairman (1991-1995) and Charter Member, Intellectual Property Law Committee (1991-present)
- Chairman, Law-Related Education Committee (1995-1998)
- Interim Chairman, Ad Hoc Committee on the Drug Crisis (1991-1992)
- Student Member (1989-1990)
- Member, International Law Committee (1996-present)
- Rotary International Member, Rotary Club of New Orleans (1997-present); Newsletter Editor (2009-2010); Board Member (2010-2012)
- Tulane Law School
  - Adjunct Faculty, Patent Prosecution and Litigation Course, (1997-present)
- Young Leadership Council
  - Member, International Committee (1996-2000)
- PTO Q&A Board (organization which prepares questions for the patent bar exam) (1992-1993)
- Practice Round Judge for Loyola Law School Moot Court Teams (1992-present)
- Sigma Pi Sigma (National Physics Honor Society) (1981-present)
- Pi Delta Phi (National French Honor Society) (1981-present)
- Alpha Sigma Nu (National Jesuit Honor Society) (1989-present)
- Loyola Law School Moot Court Alumni Association (1990-present)
- Boy Scouts of America, New Orleans Area Council
- Den Leader and Assistant Den Leader, Cub Scouts, Lusher School, Audubon District (1991-1991-1995)
- Carrollton Booster Club, New Orleans, LA, Soccer Coach (1993-1995)
- Lakeview Soccer Club, New Orleans, LA, Coach (1995-1996)
- Volunteer Attorney, New Orleans Pro Bono Project (1992-present)
- Volunteer Attorney, Louisiana Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts (1995-present)
- Blood Donor.
- Moderator, “Law and the Arts” (a legal educational program for artists), sponsored by the Arts Council of New Orleans, February 1994
- Moderator, “Patent Law Basics for the Business Lawyer,” a CLE program sponsored by the American Bar Association Business Law Section Committee on Technology and Intellectual Property and the New Orleans Bar Association Intellectual Property Law Committee, August 1994.
- Public speaking on patent, trademark, copyright, and trade secret law, including appearances on “The Angela Show” and “It’s the Law” (New Orleans television talk shows), guest lecturing at Loyola University and Tulane Law School, and presentations at continuing legal education programs, at association meetings, and at corporations.

Honors, Awards, & Scholarships
- Certificate of Appreciation “for outstanding service as Chair of the Intellectual Property Law Committee,” New Orleans Bar Association (1993)
- Certificate of Merit for “Excellent Achievement in the Study of Trademark, Tradename and Unfair Competition,” Loyola University School of Law Student Bar Association (1989-90)
- Certificate of Appreciation, ABA Law Student Division (1989)
- Certificate of Merit for “Excellent Achievement in the Study of Patent Law,” Loyola University School of Law Student Bar Association (1988-89)
- West Publishing Company Hornbook Award (1986-87, 1987-88)
- West Publishing Company Corpus Juris Secundum Award (1986-87)
- American Jurisprudence Awards (Legal Profession (1986) and Contracts I (1986))
- Full academic scholarship to study at Loyola Law School (1986)
- Two one-month full scholarships to study French in France awarded by the Council for the Development of French in Louisiana and the French government (1980 & 1981)
- LSU Alumni Federation Scholarship (1978)
- UNO Freshman Award (1978)
- Biography published in: Who’s Who in the World; Who’s Who in America; Who’s Who in American Law; Who’s Who in Intellectual Property; Who’s Who Among American Law School Students; The National Deans List; Outstanding College Students of America; Who’s Who Among American High School Students.
- Personal AV Preeminent® Rating – the Highest Possible Rating from Martindale-Hubbell®

Publications
- Nehrbass, Seth M.: “The America Invents Act – Sea change or C change in U.S. patent law?”, Briefly Speaking (New Orleans Bar Assn.), Fall 2011.
- Nehrbass, Seth M.: “Outline for Developing and Reporting Corporation-Owned Inventions”, Loyola Intellectual Property & High Technology Law Quarterly, Spring/Summer 1998, pp. 26-27.
- Nehrbass, Seth M.: Ethics is no laughing matter, presented at a CLE program in Washington, D.C. entitled “Patent, Trademark and Copyright Law: Litigation and Corporate Practice” sponsored by the American Bar Association Intellectual Property Section, March 1998.
- Nehrbass, Seth M.: “Law-Related Education Committee Needs Your Help”, Briefly Speaking… (New Orleans Bar Assn.), ca. Spring 1998.
- Nehrbass, Seth M.: (“Attention All Law Students – Summer Education and Networking Opportunity”), ABA SECTION OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LAW CHAIR’S BULLETIN, Vol. 2 No. 6, FEBRUARY 1998.
- Nehrbass, Seth M.: Ethics: A laughing matter, presented at a CLE program in New Orleans entitled “Procrastinators Programs” sponsored by the New Orleans Bar Association, December 1997.
- Nehrbass, Seth M.: “Law Students – Call for Volunteers”, American Bar Association Section of Intellectual Property Law CHAIR’S BULLETIN, Vol. 2, No. 2, OCTOBER 1997.
- Nehrbass, Seth M.: “Law Students”, American Bar Association Section of Intellectual Property Law CHAIR’S BULLETIN, Vol. 2, No. 1, September 1997.
- Nehrbass, Seth M.: “Attention Students: TIPS FOR COMMUNICATING WITH COMMITTEE CHAIRS”, ABA SECTION OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LAW CHAIR’S BULLETIN, Vol. 1, No. 12, AUGUST 1997.
- Nehrbass, Seth M.: “Attention All Law Students: SUMMER EDUCATION AND NETWORKING OPPORTUNITY” American Bar Association Section of Intellectual Property CHAIR’S BULLETIN, Vol. 1, No. 10, JUNE 1997.
- Nehrbass, Seth M.: (“Attention Students”), ABA SECTION OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LAW CHAIR’S BULLETIN, Vol. 1, No. 3, November 1996.
- Nehrbass, Seth M.: “Trip to Angola Opens Eyes of New Orleans Teens”, Briefly Speaking… (New Orleans Bar Assn.), Spring 1996: 8.
- Nehrbass, Seth M.: “Please Help Us Make New Orleans a Safer City”, Briefly Speaking… (New Orleans Bar Assn.), Spring 1996: 4.
- Nehrbass, Seth M.: “Trademark and Copyright Highlights of the GATT-Implementation Legislation”, Briefly Speaking… (New Orleans Bar Assn.) Summer 1995:11.
- Nehrbass, Seth M.: “Patent Highlights of the GATT-Implementation Legislation”, Briefly Speaking… (New Orleans Bar Assn.) Spring 1995:6.
- Nehrbass, Seth M.: Securing, Enforcing, and Avoiding Infringment of Copyrights: Copyright Law Basics for Artists, presented at “Copyright Issues for Artists”, a workshop of the Entergy Arts Business Center in New Orleans, December 1994.
- Nehrbass, Seth M.: How to Avoid Becoming a Defendant in a Copyright Infringment Lawsuit, presented at a New Orleans Bar Association Brown Bag Seminar CLE program, October 1994.
- Nehrbass, Seth M.: Fundamentals of Copyright Law, presented at a CLE program entitled “Fundamentals of Intellectual Property Law” sponsored by the American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division, the ABA Intellectual Property Law Section, and the New Orleans Bar Association Intellectual PropertyLaw Committee, August 1994.
- Nehrbass, Seth M.: Securing, Enforcing, and Avoiding Infringment of Patents, Trademarks, Copyrights, and Trade Secrets, presented at the New Orleans Bar Association Procrastinators’ Programs, December 1993, at a CLE program entitled “What the General Practitioner Needs to Know about Patents, Trademarks, and Copyrights”, Biloxi, Mississippi, July 1994, and at the New Orleans Bar Association Procrastinators’ Programs, December 1995, during a CLE speech entitled “Recent Developments in Intellectual Property Law”.
- Nehrbass, Seth M.: How to Keep Your Law Firm from Unwittingly Becoming a Defendant in a Copyright Infringment Lawsuit, presented at the 1993 New Orleans Intellectual Property Law Seminar: “Copyrights – 1993 and Beyond,” December 1993 and at the 1994 New Orleans Intellectual Property Law Seminar: “Copyrights: 1993 and Beyond – Revisited,” March 1994.
- Nehrbass, Seth M., Inventor: U.S. Patent No. 5,235,382, issued August 10, 1993 for “Photocopy Machine Cover”.
- Nehrbass, Seth M.: Protecting Ideas and Creativity: Securing and Enforcing Patents, Trademarks, Copyrights, and Trade Secrets, presented to the National Association of Legal Secretaries in July 1993 during a speech entitled “Protecting Ideas and Creativity”.
- Nehrbass, Seth M.: How to Protect Your Company: Securing, Enforcing, and Avoiding Infringment of Patents, Trademarks, Copyrights, and Trade Secrets, presented to the Louisiana Chapter of the American Corporate Counsel Association in New Orleans in July 1993 during a speech entitled “Copyrights, Trademarks, and Trade Secrets – How to Protect Your Company”.
- Nehrbass, Seth M.: General Information about Patents, Trademark, and Copyrights, and Their Enforcement, presented at the 1992 New Orleans Intellectual Property Law Seminar, September 1992; The New Orleans Bar Association Procrastinators Program, December 1992; Tulane Law School’s CLE by Four or More: Intellectual Property, December 1992; and the Winter 1993 meeting of the Intellectual Property Law Committee of the New Orleans Bar Association.
- Nehrbass, Seth M.: “Patents, Trademarks, and Copyrights: Similarities and Differences,” Briefly Speaking… (New Orleans Bar Assn.) Winter 1992:3.
- Nehrbass, Seth M.: “ABA and PTC Section Form Special Committees on the Drug Crisis,” PTC Newsletter (ABA) Winter 1991: 14.
- Nehrbass, Seth M.: (various Messages from the Chair and other articles published in the sometimes quarterly newsletter of the NOBA Intellectual Property Law Committee, ca. October 1991-1995).
- Nehrbass, Seth M.: (various committee reports published by the ABA Intellectual Property Law Section (Special Committee on the Drug Crisis, Annual Meeting Arrangements Committee, Law Student Committee, ca. 1990-1998)).
- Nehrbass, Seth M.: “Hold That Thought: Patent Law a Bright Idea,” Student Lawyer, (ABA) October 1989: 46.
- Nehrbass, Seth M.: “Survey of Intellectual Property Law Placement Agencies,” PTC Newsletter, (ABA) Spring 1989: 6.
- Co-author (with seven others), Careers in Intellectual Property Law, a publication of the American Bar Association Section of Intellectual Property Law (ABA 1993).
- Doody, Stephen R., Seth M. Nehrbass, Gregory C. Smith, Charles C. Garvey, and H. Roy Berkenstock: Securing, Enforcing, and Avoiding Infringment of U.S., International, and Foreign Patents, Trademarks, and Copyrights; Securing Trade Secrets; and Avoiding Unfair Competition (1998).
- Nehrbass, Seth, Marilyn Maloney, and Marjorie Esman: Ethics and Malpractice Avoidance, presented by the authors at a CLE program entitled “Intellectual Property” sponsored by Tulane Law School CLE in September 1997 in New Orleans.
- Fox, David L., Charles C. Garvey, Seth M. Nehrbass, and Gregory C. Smith: Securing, Enforcing, and Avoiding Infringment of U.S., International, and Foreign Patents, Trademarks, and Copyrights; Securing Trade Secrets; and Avoiding Unfair Competition, presented by Seth Nehrbass at a CLE program entitled “Intellectual Property” sponsored by http://www.law.tulane.edu/ CLE in September 1997 in New Orleans.
- Krieger, Paul E. and Seth M. Nehrbass: Have Patent Damage Awards Gotten Out of Hand?, presented by Paul Krieger at the Third Annual Continuing Legal Education Program in conjunction with the National Inventors Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies in April 1993 in Akron, Ohio.
- Nolan, Sandra M. and Seth M. Nehrbass: A ‘Primer’ on Patents, presented by Sandra Nolan during a CLE program entitled “Patent Law Basics for the Business Lawyer” sponsored by the American Bar Association Business Law Section Committee on Technology and Intellectual Property and the New Orleans Bar Association Intellectual Property Law Committee, August 1994.

About Seth
- - Born: November 10, 1960 in Lafayette, LA. Two sons – Gabriel (1984) and Fabian (1986). Married to Mary Elizabeth Dennis (2000).
- Languages:
  - Fluent in Spanish and French; some Italian, some German and some Portuguese.
- Interests:
  Seth Nehrbass’s motion-activated camera recorded this video of adult summer tanagers in a hanging basket, eating red impatiens

Seth Nehrbass has been actively involved in the prosecution of patent applications since 1982, both as a patent examiner and as a patent attorney. While Seth’s technical background is in physics, he has prepared and prosecuted patent applications in a range of technologies including chemistry, mechanical engineering, electronics, medicine and medical devices. Seth also has experience in all phases of intellectual property litigation. He is fluent in French and Spanish and has a working knowledge of Portuguese, Italian and German. Seth obtained a Bachelor of Science degree (summa cum laude) from the University of Southwestern Louisiana (now the University of Louisiana at Lafayette) and a law degree (cum laude) from Loyola University New Orleans School of Law where he was on Law Review and a member of Moot Court. He also previously served as an adjunct professor in patent law at Tulane Law School.

snehrbass@patents.gs

504-835-2000

Garvey, Smith & Nehrbass, Patent Attorneys L.L.C.