Katherine M. Hiner is the United States Patent and Trademark Office’s (USPTO’s) intellectual property (IP) attaché for South Africa based at the U.S. Consulate General in Johannesburg. Her duties include assisting U.S. businesses in protecting and enforcing their IP rights in Sub-Saharan Africa by coordinating with local enforcement authorities, securing strong IP provisions in local laws, and monitoring the implementation of these provisions with local authorities and other U.S. government agencies. Ms. Hiner conducts capacity-building programs for local officials, including patent and trademark examiners, to ensure more consistent application of international IP standards in the registration and enforcement of IP rights.
Before her appointment as an IP attaché, Ms. Hiner served as the associate director of operations at the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) in Washington, D.C. In addition to her role as associate director, she was supervisory attorney in the USITC’s Office of the Secretary. At the USITC, she served the agency’s trade remedy and factfinding missions, including providing intellectual property analysis for studies on Sub-Saharan Africa and Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) agreement flexibilities. For her exceptional work and positive impact, Ms. Hiner received the Commissioners’ Award in 2019, the highest honor awarded to USITC staff.
Ms. Hiner received her Juris Doctor from Boston University School of Law and her Bachelor of Arts in journalism from the Roy H. Park School of Communications at Ithaca College.
About the USPTO and the Office of Policy and International Affairs (OPIA)
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 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 OPIA fulfills this mandate by leading negotiations on behalf of the United States at the World Intellectual Property Organization; 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 patents, copyrights, trademarks, and trade secrets; conducting empirical research on IP; and providing educational programs on the protection, use, and enforcement of IP.