Mr. Stuart Seymour is a Swiss Patent Agent and heads the Patents Research Department at Geissler & Associates. 

Mr. Seymour studied English, history and political science at Pinetown College, South Africa. Following his studies at university, he became a law enforcement officer at the local Police Constabulary. However, he became increasingly caught up in the political turmoil and civil unrest in South Africa during the 1990’s. Political events caused Mr. Seymour to emigrate from South Africa to the United Kingdom, then to Switzerland, and finally to the United States.

Mr. Seymour completed a six-year apprenticeship under the direction of a Chartered Engineer with the aim of practicing engineering. He trained in structural and mechanical engineering, telecommunications, computer networks, and software applications.

Although not particularly inventive, en route Mr. Seymour developed a keen interest in patents and in patent law.  Mr. Seymour studied U.S. Patent Law and U.S. Patent Prosecution whilst enrolled in the Certificate Program in Intellectual Property Law at the University of California, San Diego.  Mr. Seymour has continued his formal studies of the Legal Aspects of Electronic Commerce in the Intellectual Property Specialization Program at the Joint Program between the University of South Africa and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Worldwide Academy.

At Geissler & Associates, Mr. Seymour performs computer patent searches over a broad range of mechanical and computer network technologies. In addition, he undertakes exacting manual library searches for prior art in relation to patent applications before the United States Patent and Trademark Office in Washington D.C. and the European Patent Office in Munich.

Within the field of patents research, Mr. Seymour has developed a specialty, namely, patents for proprietary business methods in e-commerce. Of course, the best-known example of such a patented business method is Amazon.com’s “One-Click” ® method for on-line book sales.  Another recent and somewhat controversial proprietary business method is Priceline’s on-line ticket sales by means of a Dutch auction.

Mr. Seymour is familiar with the details of patent prosecution before the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), the European Patent Office (EPO), and before the competent authorities in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, and South Africa.  However, Mr. Seymour generally limits his work to his specialty, namely, patent searches for proprietary business methods in e-commerce.

Mr. Seymour’s affiliation with the Section of Intellectual Property Law of the American Bar Association and the Bar Association of Washington DC puts him in daily contact with emerging legal issues pertaining to proprietary business methods.  Mr. Seymour is an Ordinary Member of The South African Institute of Intellectual Property Law. 

Mr. Stuart Seymour was appointed Registrar to the Academy of Intellectual Property Law because he exemplifies the very traits required for success in patents research and education: a thorough understanding of technology; an appreciation for rationale method; and attention to detail.