Brian Tufte is a registered patent attorney and founding member of the intellectual property law firm of Seager Tufte Wickhem. He is based in the firm’s Minneapolis, Minnesota office.
Brian’s practice focuses primarily on patent prosecution in the electrical, optical and mechanical arts, portfolio assessment and management, infringement and validity evaluations, licensing, and counseling on a wide variety of patent and trademark matters.
Prior to entering the legal profession, Brian worked as an electrical engineer for a large multinational corporation. While there, he gained more than seven years of specialized corporate work experience, included designing and testing custom radiation hard integrated circuits including custom microprocessors and memories.
Practice Areas
- Patent prosecution, domestic and foreign
- IP portfolio assessment and management
- Infringement and validity evaluations
- Licensing
- IP counseling
Industry Sectors / Specialties
- Optics
- Electrical Arts
- Mechanical Arts
Education
- William Mitchell College of Law
J.D., magna cum laude
- Saint Olaf College
B.A. Physics and Mathematics
Bar Admissions
- Minnesota (1994)
- U.S. Patent & Trademark Office (1994)
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (1994)
Honors and Professional Distinctions
- Named an “IP Star” in each of 2013-2024 as published in the “IP Handbook” by Managing IP Magazine.
- Named one of the leading patent practitioners World-Wide in 2014-2025 as published in the “IAM Patent 1000 – The World’s Leading Patent Practitioners” reference guide.
- Named a Super Lawyer by Minnesota Law & Politics, Twin Cities Business Monthly and Mpls. St. Paul magazines.
- Named a top intellectual property lawyer in 2024 by Minnesota Monthly Magazine.
- Listed in Whos Who in America and Whos Who in American Law.
Professional Affiliations
- MIPLA
- AIPLA
- MSBA