The USPTO, through its Office of Policy and International Affairs, engages with various international intergovernmental organizations and forums on intellectual property issues, including:
- World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
- World Customs Organization (WCO)
- World Trade Organization (WTO)
- International Trade Centre (ITC)
- Trilateral Website (EPO - JPO - USPTO)
- Organization for Economic Development (OECD)
- United Nations (UN)
Regional Organizations
OPIA regional teams, including the China team, are made up of representatives from the substantive policy teams to address intellectual property policy around the world. Along with the IP Attaché Program, they engage with various regional organizations on intellectual property issues covering a particular region, including:
- Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)
- Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
- UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)
- UN Economic Commission for Latin America & the Caribbean (ECLAC)
- UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA)
The USPTO is authorized by statute to provide guidance, to conduct programs and studies, and to interact with IP offices worldwide and with international intergovernmental organizations on matters involving IP. In particular, the USPTO, through OPIA, leads negotiations on behalf of the United States at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), assists in negotiating the IP provisions of international trade agreements and advises on their implementation, and encourages and supports empirical studies of the economic impacts of IP and innovation. USPTO representatives also play a leading role in several standards-setting bodies of WIPO aimed at streamlining IP rights acquisition and enforcement across various IP disciplines, including the Standing Committees related to Patents, Trademarks, and Copyright.
OPIA also supports the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, the Department of State, and other U.S. government agencies in international negotiations and consultations, including the development of the Special 301 Report. The USPTO works with the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative on the accession of countries to the WTO and on the trade policy reviews of current WTO members, and participates in ongoing discussions in the WTO Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Council.