Jon W. Dudas
Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office

Jon W. Dudas serves as Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).  He was nominated by President George W. Bush in March 2004 and appointed in July 2004.  Mr. Dudas previously served as acting Under Secretary and Director, and Deputy Under Secretary and Deputy Director from 2002 to 2004.

As Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property, Mr. Dudas advises the President of the United States, the Secretary of Commerce, and the Administration about intellectual property matters. As Director of the USPTO, he administers the laws of granting patents and trademarks and the day-to-day management of the $1.7 billion agency and its more than 8,000 employees.

As head of the world's leading intellectual property (IP) office, Mr. Dudas develops and articulates Administration positions on patent, copyright, and trademark issues, both domestic and foreign. He promotes strong IP policy globally, including strategies to thwart the theft of U.S. IP around the world.  And he implements policies and initiatives that provide innovators with quality, timely patent and trademark examinations.

Prior to joining the Bush Administration, Mr. Dudas served six years as Counsel to the U.S. House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts and Intellectual Property, and Staff Director and Deputy General Counsel for the House Judiciary Committee.  He guided enactment of major patent, trademark, and copyright policy, including the 1999 American Inventors Protection Act and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.  He was also instrumental in the passage of the 1996 Trademark Anti-Counterfeiting Consumer Protection Act, a law making it more difficult for seized counterfeit merchandise to re-enter the consumer marketplace.

Before his employment with the House of Representatives, Under Secretary Dudas practiced law in the Chicago law firm of Neal Gerber & Eisenberg.

Mr. Dudas holds a bachelor of science in finance, summa cum laude, from the University of Illinois and a law degree from the University of Chicago, with honors. He is a member of the Illinois State Bar and the Bar of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.  He lives in Virginia with his wife Nicole and four children.

Margaret J.A. Peterlin
Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Deputy Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office

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 $1.7 billion agency and its more than 8,000 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 legislative policy and strategy, including judiciary issues such as IP protection, and international relations issues. 

She previously was General Counsel to Richard Armey, Majority Leader of the U.S. House.   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 holds a bachelor of arts 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.