Marina Lamm is the intellectual property (IP) attaché for the U.S. Permanent Mission to the United Nations in Geneva, covering the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and all U.N. intellectual property–related issues.
Ms. Lamm was a patent attorney with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's (USPTO), in the Office of Policy and International Affairs (OPIA) for over 10 years, covering domestic and international patent and technology-transfer policy issues. Ms. Lamm has a particular expertise in pharmaceutical patent law and policy, as well as patent issues in Europe and Eurasia. In addition, Ms. Lamm’s responsibilities in OPIA included heading the U.S. delegation to the WIPO Committee on Development and Intellectual Property and participating in the meetings of the WIPO Intergovernmental Committee on Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge, and Folklore.
Prior to joining the OPIA, Ms. Lamm was a patent examiner at the USPTO for over nine years. She received her law degree from the Catholic University of America’s Columbus School of Law and a master’s degree in forensic science from the George Washington University. She is a member of the Maryland Bar and is a registered patent attorney.
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.