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Laura Peter
Former Deputy Director of USPTO and Executive Director, Division of Research, UNC Charlotte
Office of Research Commercialization and Partnerships, UNC Charlotte
Laura Peter served as the Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Deputy Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). She was the principal advisor to the Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property, and responsible for all agency operations. This includes oversight for the USPTO Regional Offices, managing 13,000 employees, and executing the policies, priorities and programs for an annual budget of $3.5 billion. She is an enthusiastic advocate and frequent speaker within IP Community on STEM, expansion of the innovation community, and intellectual property issues. Laura Peter is recognized by World IP Review as one of the most “Influential Women in IP.” Ms. Peter has practiced intellectual property law for over 25 years in leadership roles in the high technology industry.
Currently, Ms. Peter serves as Executive Director at UNC Charlotte where Laura Peter works closely with the Vice Chancellor for Research, as well as other leaders across the university, to provide visionary and strategic leadership for UNC Charlotte’s innovation, corporate research and technology commercialization activities. In this role, she supports and encourages university-wide programs for intellectual property awareness, development, innovation and engagement with business in the region, across the nation and around the globe.
Laura Peter received a Bachelor of Science in industrial engineering from Cornell University and a master’s in public policy from the University of Chicago. She also holds a Juris Doctor from Santa Clara University School of Law and a Master of Law degree in international business law from King’s College, University of London.
Recent Articles by Laura Peter
The WIPO Treaty on Genetic Resources: A Misguided Expansion That Threatens the Patent Bargain
The World Intellectual Property Organization’s (WIPO’s) new Treaty on Intellectual Property, Genetic Resources and Associated Traditional Knowledge, adopted in May 2024, would impose additional disclosure obligations on patent applicants under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT). Specifically, it would require disclosure of traditional knowledge and genetic resources even when those details have no bearing on patentability.
Closing the PTAB Loophole: Targeting Real Threats to U.S. Innovation Without Overreaching
Protecting American innovation from foreign threats is a national priority—particularly in strategic sectors like semiconductors, AI, and defense technologies. The United States has long relied on robust economic sanctions and export controls to protect national security and safeguard intellectual property (IP) from foreign adversaries. Despite these measures, a significant vulnerability persists: entities from sanctioned or embargoed nations can exploit a critical loophole to access the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB), an administrative body that plays a pivotal role in challenging the validity of U.S. patents.
