Helene Liwinski is the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s (USPTO) intellectual property (IP) attaché for the World Trade Organization (WTO) at the U.S. Mission to the World Trade Organization in Geneva, Switzerland. She works on issues involving the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS).
Prior to being posted in Geneva, Ms. Liwinski was an attorney-advisor at the USPTO’s Office of Policy and International Affairs (OPIA), where she was responsible for providing advice on domestic and international policy regarding the protection of trademarks and geographical indications. Ms. Liwinski’s expertise includes IP issues in Mexico and Latin America, Europe, the United Kingdom, Eurasia, Canada, and the Middle East. Ms. Liwinski also served on the U.S. delegation at the TM5, a forum comprising the IP offices of China, the European Union, Japan, Korea, and the United States.
Prior to joining OPIA, Ms. Liwinski was a USPTO trademark examining attorney for over nine years, working on a variety of matters including petitions to the Director, sound trademarks, mentoring new examining attorneys, and completing a detail with the OPIA copyright team. Before joining the USPTO, Ms. Liwinski was a patent attorney in private practice.
Ms. Liwinski earned a B.S. in chemistry from Pennsylvania State University, with a minor in French and international studies, and a J.D. from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law. She is fluent in French and Polish.
Helene.A.Liwinski@ustr.eop.gov
About the USPTO and the Office of Policy and International Affairs
Aside from the issuance of patents and registration of trademarks, the USPTO has a statutory mandate to advise the President and all federal agencies, through the Secretary of Commerce, on national and international intellectual property (IP) policy issues, including IP protection in other countries. In addition, the USPTO is authorized by statute to provide guidance, conduct programs and studies, and interact with IP offices worldwide—and with international intergovernmental organizations—on matters involving IP.
The USPTO’s Office of Policy and International Affairs fulfills this mandate by leading negotiations on behalf of the United States at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO); advising the Administration on the negotiation and implementation of the IP provisions of international trade agreements; advising the Secretary of Commerce and the Administration on a full range of IP policy matters, including in the areas of patent, copyright, trademarks, and trade secrets; conducting empirical research on IP; and providing educational programs on the protection, use, and enforcement of IP.