Executive Biographies > Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Deputy Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office

Margaret J.A. Peterlin

Margaret J.A. Peterlin was sworn in as Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Deputy Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in April 2007.

As Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property, Ms. Peterlin advises the President, the Secretary of Commerce, and the Administration about intellectual property matters. As Deputy Director of the USPTO, she administers the laws of granting patents and trademarks, and the day-to-day management of the $1.8 billion agency and its more than 8,900 employees.

As a leader in intellectual property (IP) policy, Ms. Peterlin helps develop and articulate Administration positions on all patent, copyright, and trademark issues, both domestic and foreign. She also promotes strong IP policy globally, including strategies to thwart the theft of U.S. IP around the world. As an agency leader, Ms. Peterlin implements policies and initiatives that provide innovators with quality and timely patent and trademark examinations. She also provides strategic leadership to employees to help them achieve organizational excellence.

Before joining the USPTO, Ms. Peterlin was Counsel for Legal Policy and National Security Advisor for the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, J. Dennis Hastert. In this role, she advised the Speaker, House and Senate leadership, and senior staff on public policy and legislative strategy, covering IP protection, judiciary matters, and international relations.

She previously was General Counsel to Richard Armey, Majority Leader of the U.S. House. Throughout her Hill tenure, Ms. Peterlin’s judiciary and IP responsibilities remained a constant. She has worked closely with USPTO leaders since 2001 on domestic and international IP issues.

She clerked on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals for Judge Jerry E. Smith. Ms. Peterlin also served as an Officer in the U.S. Navy for four years, working in the communications field.

A native of Daleville, Alabama, Ms. Peterlin graduated from the College of the Holy Cross. She earned a legal degree cum laude from the University of Chicago, where she was the founding Editor in Chief of The Chicago Journal of International Law. She is a member of the New York State Bar and lives in Virginia.

United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)

Since 1790, the basic role of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has remained the same: to promote the progress of science and the useful arts by securing for limited times to inventors the exclusive right to their respective discoveries (Article 1, Section 8 of the United States Constitution). Today, the USPTO is a federal agency in the Department of Commerce, headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia. Through the issuance of patents, the USPTO encourages technological advancement by providing incentives to invent, invest in, and disclose new technology worldwide. Through the registration of trademarks, the agency assists businesses in protecting their investments, promoting goods and services, and safeguarding consumers against confusion and deception in the marketplace. By disseminating both patent and trademark information, the USPTO promotes an understanding of intellectual property protection and facilitates the development and sharing of new technologies worldwide.