Jeffrey R. Kuester

Prior to receiving his law degree from Georgia State University College of Law, Jeff earned his Bachelor of Electrical Engineering degree, with honors, under the Computer Engineering and Cooperative Education programs from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Jeff financed his education through employment with IBM and Georgia Power Company. While an undergraduate, he was a member of Gamma Beta Phi honor society, Eta Kappa Nu electrical engineering honor society, Tau Beta Pi engineering honor society, and Phi Eta Sigma freshman honorary. After entering law school, Jeff passed the Patent Bar Exam and began working as a Registered Patent Agent. While in law school, Jeff was a winner on the Intrastate Moot Court Team, was a member of the National Moot Court Team, was listed in Who's Who Among American Law Students, and received an American Jurisprudence Award in Moot Court.

Today, besides teaching as an Adjunct Professor of Intellectual Property Law at Georgia State University College of Law, where he recently received the Alumni Service to the College of Law Award and continues to serve as the Vice-Chair of the Intellectual Property Advisory Board and an Organizer for the Corporate IP Institute, Jeff's areas of practice include all areas of patent, trademark and copyright law, including licensing, litigation, and patent and trademark preparation and prosecution. Until recently, Jeff also served on the Board of Directors for the Georgia Technology Authority, which works to bring Georgia the benefits of technology: greater efficiency, security safeguards, expanded access to government information and services, and economic development throughout the state.

In addition to being listed in the prestigious Best Lawyers in America for Intellectual Property, Jeff was recently voted one of the Top 5% of all attorneys in Georgia in the area of intellectual property, being selected as a Super Lawyer, and he was also selected by his peers as one of the Legal Elite, as published by Georgia Trend magazine. In addition, he was rated by Chambers USA as one of America's Leading Business Lawyers, describing him as a "smart, responsive lawyer," "never flustered by hard work," who "proves an excellent team manager." Jeff has also been listed in Who's Who Legal, has been listed as one of Atlanta's Top Patent Attorneys by the Atlanta Business Chronicle, and is assigned Martindale-Hubbell's highest "AV" ranking.

In addition to serving on the Board of Editors for American Lawyer Media's Patent Strategy & Management, as well as Internet Law & Strategy, Mr. Kuester is also actively involved with a variety of educational and professional organizations, including the The Intellectual Property Owners Association, where he serves as Vice Chair of the Corporate IP Management Committee; The Business Law & Litigation Section of the Cobb County Bar Association, where he serves as President of the Section and previously served for five years as Editor of the Bar Association's monthly newsletter, The Cobb Bar News; The American Intellectual Property Law Association; the International Federation of Intellectual Property Attorneys (FICPI); and the Intellectual Property Law Section of The American Bar Association where he was appointed as Chair of the Computer Hardware Technology Committee, the Patent Legislation Committee, the Special Committee on Patents and the Internet, Co-Chair of the Special Committee on Trademarks and the Internet, Co-Chair of the Patent and Trademark Office Affairs Committee, and Vice-Chair of the Continuing Legal Education Committee.

As a member of the State Bar of Georgia, Jeff has served as Chair of the Intellectual Property Law Section, which won the coveted "Section of the Year Award" from the State Bar during his term, and was past Webmaster and Editor of the Section's previous quarterly newsletter, A Novel Expression of Confusion. Jeff is also an active participant in the State Bar's Technology Law Section, which he also served as Chair during the year that section won the "Section of the Year Award," and he also previously served that section as Webmaster and Newsletter Editor. As a previous Communications Director for the 4,500-member Atlanta Section of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Jeff was the Webmaster and Editor of the organization's monthly newsletter, The Atlanta Circuit. He also served as the Electronic Communications Chair for the Business and Technology Association (B&TA), maintaining their website.

On the personal side, Jeff is the founder of the International Association of Christian Intellectual Property Professionals (IACIPP) and a member of the Christian Legal Society (CLS). Jeff's wife, the former Pamela Jo Meeks of Atlanta, is an honor graduate of The Westminster Schools and earned her Bachelor of Arts degree, magna cum laude, in Spanish with minors in French and music from Georgia State University. Previously active in the Junior League of Atlanta and now in various genealogy groups, she spends her time in church activities, volunteering, and caring for their five children.

Jeff is a prolific lecturer and author, with articles and presentations including:

Speaker, "In the Aftermath of In re Bilski", PLI Patent Litigation 2010, November 8-9, 2010, Atlanta, GA

Speaker & Organizer, "Corporate Intellectual Property Update", Corporate Intellectual Property Institute, November 5, 2010, Atlanta, GA

Speaker, "U.S. Supreme Court Decision in Bilski v. Kappos and Its Practical Impact", State Bar of Georgia IP Section Luncheon July 21, 2010, Atlanta, GA

Speaker, Patent Law Update, SpringPosium 2010 May 8, 2010, Brasstown Valley, GA.

Speaker & Author, In the Aftermath of In re Bilski, PLI Patent Litigation, November 10, 2009, Atlanta, GA.

Author, Amicus Brief for AwakenIP for U.S. Supreme Court Case, Bilski v. Doll, August 7, 2009.

Speaker, "Patent Law Update: Section 112, Opinions in Light of Qualcomm, Declaratory Judgment", SpringPosium 2009 May 9, 2009, Brasstown Valley, GA.

Speaker, "From Draft to Appeal - The Changing U.S. Prosecution Practice", American Bar Association 24th Annual Intellectual Property Law Conference April 1-4, 2009, Washington, DC.

Co-Author, Flash of Genius: Perspectives from Patent Prosecution and Litigation AttorneysThe Atlanta Lawyer Magazine, March 2009, Atlanta, GA.

Author, Angels Who Lost Their Wings: Federal Trademark Owner Loses to Local OrganizationState Bar of Georgia IP Section Newsletter, Winter 2009, Atlanta, GA.

Speaker, "Judicial Assault on Continuation Practice and Adequate Disclosure", 14th Annual Intellectual Property Law Institute November 14, 2008, Los Cabos, Mexico.

Organizer, 2nd Annual Corporate IP Institute October 28-29, 2008, Atlanta, GA.

Speaker, "Continuing Changes in Licensing Strategies and Royalties", SpringPosium 2008 May 2, 2008, Brasstown Valley, GA.

Organizer, Corporate IP Institute October 23-24, 2007, Atlanta, GA.

Speaker, "Recent Developments in Patent Law", SpringPosium 2007 April 12, 2007, Atlanta, GA.

Speaker, "Frontiers in Patentable Subject Matter after In re Lundgren: Business Methods without any "Technology"? Thought Processes? Electromagnetic Signals? Literary Plots", SpringPosium 2006 April 29, 2006, Brasstown Valley, GA.

Speaker, "Opinion Letters, Representation Issues and the Impact of Knorr-Bremse Decision", PLI Patent Litigation 2005 September 22-23, 2005, Atlanta, GA.

Author, "Preparation Costs: How Low Can you Go?", Patent Strategy & Management, p. 3, May 2005.

Speaker, "Knorr Bremse Implications on Opinion Practice", SpringPosium 2005 April 29, 2005, Atlanta, GA.

Author, "Nonpublication Requests May Be Traps for Unwary", The National Law Journal, p. S7, May 10, 2004.

Speaker, "Ethics and Licensing", Intellectual Property License by Practicing Law Institute (PLI), January 16 & 17, 2003, Atlanta, GA.

Program Chair, "8th Annual Intellectual Property Law Institute", November 13-17, 2002, Puerta Vallarta, Mexico.

Moderator, "A General Practitioner's Guide to Trademark, Copyright, Patent and Internet Law",State Bar of Georgia Annual Meeting, June 14, 2002, Amelia Island, FL.

Speaker, "Festo From A Prosecutor's Perspective", American Bar Association Intellectual Property Law Section Spring CLE, April 11, 2002, Washington, D.C.

Speaker, Federal Trade Commission/Department Of Justice Hearings on Competition and Intellectual Property Law and Policy in the Knowledge-Based Economy, April 11, 2002, Washington, D.C.

Author, "Beware Back Door On-Sale Activities", 14 Intellectual Property & Technology Law Journal 1, (Feb. 2002)

Speaker, "A CAFC Patent Year in Review", 2001 Intellectual Property Law Institute November 9-13, 2001, Puerta Vallarta, Mexico.

Author, Peripheral Claiming System Erosion: Why Draft Claims Anymore?, Intellectual Property Today cover article, November, 2001.

Speaker, "Prosecuting a Patent that Holds Up in Litigation", PLI Patent Litigation 2001 October 8-9, 2001, Atlanta, GA.

Speaker, "What do E-Commerce Clients Expect From Their Attorneys?", American Bar Associate Annual Meeting August 4, 2001, Chicago, IL.

Speaker, "Software and Business Method Patents Developments", Intellectual Property Forum June 18th & 19th, 2001, London, England.

Author, Risks Associated with Restricting Business Method and E-Commerce Patents, Georgia State University Law Review, vol. 17, no.3, Spring 2001, p. 657.

Speaker, "Copryight Law in the New Millennium", Law.Com Online Seminar March 20 - April 2, 2001.

Moderator, Patent Management Roundtable (large pdf file or text only), Fulton County Daily Report, April 2001.

Author, Creating Marketable eCommerce Patents, Patent Strategy & Management, March 2001.

Author, E-Data Patent Alive and Well, Patent Strategy & Management, January 2001.

Author, Marking Patented Websites, Patent Strategy & Management, December 2000.

Author, Claim The Web Page Itself, Patent Strategy & Management, November 2000.

Speaker, "Patent Portfolio Management: Different Strokes for Different Folks", Patent Strategy & Management: Practical Methods for Converting Knowledge Into Gold November 3, 2000, Tysons Corner, VA.

Author, Congress Takes Another Aim at Business Method Patents, Patent Strategy & Management, October 2000.

Author, Patent Office Addresses Nonobviousness Standard for Business Methods, Patent Strategy & Management, September 2000.

Author, Are Business Method Patents Any Good?, Patent Strategy & Management, August 2000.

Speaker, "PTO Roundtable on Computer-Implemented Business Method Patent Issues", Hosted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office July 27, 2000, Washington, DC.

Author, Avoiding Prior User Defense to Business Method Patents, Patent Strategy & Management, July 2000.

Author, Are Patents Killing the Internet, Patent Strategy & Management, June 2000.

Author, Expanding Your Claiming Horizons, Patent Strategy & Management, May 2000.

Author, "Can I E-mail My Clients?", Georgia Bar Journal, February 2000, p. 62.

Speaker, "Recent Internet Related Issues in IP Law", Emory University School of Law Intellectual Property Society April 13, 2000, Atlanta, GA.

Speaker, "Internet Patents", University of Georgia School of Law - Law, Science & Technology Class, March 20, 2000, Athens, GA.

Speaker, "The e-IP Minefield", American Corporate Counsel Association - The New World of Electronic Commerce - Business to Business, March 14, 2000, Atlanta, GA.

Speaker, "Internet Patents", Georgia State University College of Law Symposium on Law and the Internet by the Georgia State Law Review, February 8, 2000, Atlanta, GA.

Speaker, "Internet Issues for the IP Industry in the New Millennium", Intellectual Property Issues for the New Millennium - Thomson & Thomson Educational Forum, November 9, 1999, Atlanta, GA.

Author, New Internet Patent Wars, Southeastern Intellectual Property, Vol. 3, Issue 4, November 1999.

Television Program, "Internet Law", Layman's Lawyer, WPBA-TV, October 19 1999, Atlanta, Georgia.

Speaker, "Internet Issues in Intellectual Property Law - Patents", The John Marshall Law School Centennial Conference on Intellectual Property Law, May 6, 1999, Chicago, IL.

Author, Telecommunications Software Patents, Southeastern Intellectual Property, Vol. 3, Issue 2, May 1999.

Speaker, "Civilizing the New Frontier: Cyberspace and the Law", Georgia Bar Media and Judiciary Conference - Judges and the Modern Media: Independence and Interdependence, April 30, 1999, Atlanta, GA.

Author, Strategic Patent Management: Eight Key Considerations for Extracting Real Value from Patents, Southeastern Intellectual Property, Vol. 3, Issue 1, February 1999

Speaker, "Using the Internet to Locate Prior Art", American Intellectual Property Law Association Mid-Winter Meeting, February 3, 1999, Orlando, FL.

Speaker, "Bar Association Newsletter Production", State Bar of Georgia Bar Leadership Institute, January 21, 1999, Atlanta, GA.

Speaker, "Recent Developments in Patent Law", State Bar of Georgia Intellectual Property Law Section Annual Seminar, November 13, 1998, Brasstown Valley, GA.

Speaker, "Intellectual Property in Cyberspace", National Business Institute Seminar, October 29, 1998, Atlanta, GA.

Speaker, "Intellectual Property, Software & the Internet", National Lawyers Association Annual Meeting, October 24, 1998, Atlanta, GA.

Speaker, "Effective § 102, 103, 112 Invalidity Defenses: What Can Defendants Do to Win With Them Today?", Practicing Law Institute Patent Litigation Conference, October 6, 1998, Atlanta, GA.

Speaker, "Internet Attorney Advertising", American Bar Association and State Bar of Georgia Panel, June 20, 1998, Atlanta, GA.

Speaker, "Invoking and Avoiding Section 112(6)", American Bar Association Intellectual Property Law Section Summer Meeting, June 25, 1998, Williamsburg, VA.

Speaker, "To Link or Not to Link, and Other Hot Internet Issues", Issues for Corporate Counsel - Kentucky Bar Association Corporate House Counsel Section, May 8, 1998, Louisville, KY.

Author, "Hyperlinks, Frames and Meta-tags: An Intellectual Property Analysis", IDEA The Journal of Law and Technology, Franklin Pierce Law Center, Vol. 38, No. 2, pp. 243-279, 1998.

Author, "As Software Patents Take Over, Expertise Is Key", The National Law Journal, April 20, 1998, p. B13.

Speaker, "Internet Law", Millennium Technology Group, April 1, 1998, Washington, DC.

Author, Speaker, Moderator & Program Vice-Chair, "Palsgraffing" Patent Law: Foreseeability and the Doctrine of Equivalents, American Bar Association Intellectual Property Law Section - Patent, Trademark and Copyright Law: Litigation and Corporate Practice, March 30-31, 1998, Washington, DC.

Speaker, "Internet Ethics", ABA Techshow, March 27, 1998, Chicago, IL.

Speaker, "Claims to Signals in Patents", Software Patent Symposium at George Washington School of Law, March 26, 1998, Washington, DC.

Author, "New Tech Should be Assigned to One Party", The National Law Journal, March 2, 1998, p. C8.

Author, "Software: Patents! Patents! Patents! Get the Idea?", Southeastern Intellectual Property, Vol. 2, Issue 1, February 1998.

Author, "Personal Jurisdiction on the Internet: Where is Cyberspace?", Intellectual Property Today, January 1998, Vol. 5, No. 1, p. 25.

Author, "Georgia Trademarks at Greater Risk on Internet After Georgia Law Found Unconstitutional", Georgia Bar Journal, December 1997, Vol. 3, No. 3, p. 42.

Speaker and Author, "Internet Law", Heritage Technology Group, December 18, 1997, Dallas, TX.

Speaker and Author, "The Electronic Workplace Revisited: Important Internet Legal Issues", State Bar of Georgia Corporate Counsel Institute, December 12, 1997.

Speaker and Author, "Finding and Using Online Intellectual Property Resources", LegalTech by Price Waterhouse, December 10, 1997.

Radio Show, "Internet Law", WGUN 1010AM, November 4, 1997, Atlanta, Georgia.

Author, "What Does "Means" Mean?", Intellectual Property Today, October, 1997.

Author, "Means-Plus-Function Can Cause Drafting Angst", The National Law Journal, October 20, 1997.

Speaker and Author, "The New Means-Plus-Function Presumption and Step-Plus-Function Confusion", American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA) Annual Meeting, October 16, 1997, Washington, D.C.

Speaker, "Link Law on the Internet", Franklin Pierce Law Center, October 15, 1997, Concord, NH.

Speaker and Author, "To Link or Not to Link and Other Hot Internet Issues", Third Annual Intellectual Property Law Institute, State Bar of Georgia Intellectual Property Law Section, October 9, 1997, Young Harris, GA.

Author, "Internet Ethics", Carolina Patent, Trademark & Copyright Law Association Fall 1997 Meeting, October 4, 1997, Kiawah Island, SC.

Speaker and Author, "Online Ethics", 12th Annual Computer Law Institute, State Bar of Georgia Computer Law Section, September 18, 1997, Atlanta, GA.

Speaker and Author, "Internet Basics: Applications, Law & Ethics", "Advanced Internet Law...The Next Frontier in Legal Practice", Heritage Professional Seminars, September 11-12, 1997, Knoxville and Nashville, TN.

Author, What's All The Hype About Hyperlinking?, Southeastern Intellectual Property, September 1997.

Speaker, "Ethics: Ethical Issues in Electronic Communications", NALA Twenty-Second Annual Convention, July 3, 1997, Washington, D.C.

Author, Step Plus Function Can Result in Narrow Claims, The National Law Journal, June 16, 1997, p. C17.

Author, A New Defense to Patent Infringement?, Southeastern Intellectual Property, May 1997, p. 8.

Moderator & Organizer, "Patenting of Computer-Related Inventions Workshop", Sponsored by the State Bar of Georgia Intellectual Property Law Section and Computer Law Section, May 16, 1997, Atlanta, Georgia.

Speaker, Developing Home Pages and Web Sites, Second Annual Law & Technology Expo, Atlanta Bar Association, May 2, 1997, Atlanta, Georgia.

Author, Patents for Software-Related Inventions, Multimedia and Technology Licensing Law Report, April 1997, Vol. 3, No. 11.

Speaker and Author, "Ethical Concerns for Attorneys Using the Internet", Cost Effective Legal Research, Institute of Continuing Legal Education, April 25, 1997, Atlanta, Georgia.

Speaker, "Client Confidentiality On Internet E-Mail and Other Electronic Transmissions", 1997 Spring Seminar, Orange County Patent Law Association, April 20, 1997, Borrego Springs, California.

Speaker and Author, "Internet Law", Georgia State University Continuing Legal Education Division, April 8, 1997, Atlanta, Georgia.

Speaker and Author, "Policing Your Rights in the New Media World: Monitoring of Trademark, Copyright and Other Forms of Infringement in the On-Line and Interactive Settings", Entertainment Law for the Next Millennium, Entertainment Law Section of the State Bar of Georgia, April 4, 1997, Atlanta, Georgia.

Speaker, "Ethics on the Internet", Patent, Trademark and Copyright Law: Litigation and Corporate Practice, American Bar Association Intellectual Property Law Section Twelfth Annual Cherry Blossoms and CLE, April 3, 1997, Washington, D.C.

Author, What Does "Means" Mean?, A Novel Expression of Confusion, State Bar of Georgia Intellectual Property Law Section Newsletter, Spring 1997, p. 4.

Speaker, "Computer Law", Organizational Meeting for the Computers and the Law Society of the Georgia State University College of Law, February 26, 1997, Atlanta, Georgia.

Author, "SPA v. ISPs: Contributory Copyright Infringement in Cyberspace", Intellectual Property Today, by The Law Works, February 1997, Vol. 4, No. 2, p. 8.

Speaker and Author, "Ethics Concerns for Attorneys Using the Internet", Computer Law and Internet, CLE International, February 6-7, 1997, Atlanta, Georgia.

Author, Internet Service Providers Face Contributory Infringement Suits from Software Copyright Owners Based on the Infringing Activities of Service Subscribers, The National Law Journal, January 20, 1997, p. B6.

Speaker, "Intellectual Property Issues and the Net", CLE Strategic Leadership Forum - CLE Directors Conference, October 29, 1996, Charleston, South Carolina.

Author, Coalition Challenges State Law Guarding 'Net IP, The National Law Journal, October 28, 1996, p. C22.

Speaker and Author, Legal Research on the Internet, Hands-On Legal Computer Training, Georgia State University Continuing Legal Education Division, October 22, 1996, Atlanta, Georgia.

Speaker and Author, "Legal and Ethical Considerations of Law Firm Web Sites", Law Firm Website-Home Page Conference, Glasser Legalworks, September 27, 1996, New York, New York.

Speaker and Author, "Ethical Considerations for Attorneys Using the Internet", 1996 Computer Law Section Annual Seminar, September 19, 1996, Atlanta, Georgia.

Speaker and Author, "Using Computers in Patent Practice", Intellectual Property Practice for Paralegals, Half Moon Seminars, August 15, 1996, Atlanta, Georgia.

Author, "Attorney Sites Can Avoid Violations of Ethics Rules", The National Law Journal, August 12, 1996, Vol. 18, No. 50, p. B11.

Author, "Cyber-Sheriff's in Town", The National Law Journal, July 1, 1996, p. C1.

Author, "Five Easy Steps to Creating Your Own Website on the Internet", Verdict, Spring 1996, p. 47.

Speaker, "Georgia Internet Police Law", Commercial Strategies for Intellectual Property, Patent and Copyright Protection on the Internet, International Business Communications, April 30, 1996, Atlanta, Georgia.

Speaker, "Creating an Award-Winning Web Page", Technology Trends in the 1990s, Atlanta Law Libraries Association, April 30, 1996, Atlanta, Georgia.

Speaker and Author, "Understanding Ethical Issues in Internet Communications" and "Setting up a Web Page", The Internet for Attorneys, Half Moon Seminars, April 25, 1996, Atlanta, Georgia.

Speaker, "Software Patents, The Georgia Internet Police Law, and NetEthics", University of Georgia Law School Intellectual Property Association Annual Banquet, April 21, 1996, Athens, Georgia.

Radio Show, "Hard Drive Café - Internet Law", WSB 750AM, Winter 1996, Atlanta, Georgia.

Speaker, "Legal Issues of Doing Business On-Line", The Attorney's Internet & WWW, Program by Rockhurst College, November 7, 1995, Atlanta, Georgia.

Television Program, "Internet Law", Layman's Lawyer, WPBA-TV, October 1995, Atlanta, Georgia.

Author and Lecturer, "Recent Developments re: Drafting and Interpretation of Means-Plus-Function Language in Patent Claims", Computer Law Reporter, Vol. 22, No. 2, 10/95, delivered at the 1995 Annual Intellectual Property Recent Developments Institute for the Intellectual Property Law Section of the State Bar of Georgia in St. Simons Island, Georgia.

Author and Lecturer, "Patents for Software-Related Inventions", Kennesaw State College, March 1995. Return to KuesterLaw