Published
October 19, 2026
On October 1, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) welcomed a new senior management team, including Laura Peter as Deputy Director General for the Patents and Technology Sector. Peter brings a unique combination of private sector, academic, and government experience to the role, having previously served as Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Deputy Director at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has long championed a strong, predictable international IP system as a cornerstone of innovation and economic growth. As WIPO's patents sector enters a new chapter of leadership, we sat down with DDG Peter to discuss her priorities, her vision for the international patent system, and how WIPO plans to help innovators and businesses navigate an increasingly complex and fast-moving technology landscape.
In the Q&A below, Peter shares her perspective on strengthening the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), preparing the IP system for emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and biotechnology, and how U.S. companies can engage with WIPO to advance their IP interests in global markets.
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Congratulations on your appointment as Deputy Director General for the Patents and Technology Sector. Can you tell us about your background and how your experience in both the public and private sector will shape your leadership at WIPO?
Thank you. I have spent much of my career working at the intersection of intellectual property, technology, and business, in the private sector, academia, and government. Each has shaped how I think about the role of IP in innovation and economic growth.
In the private sector, I worked directly with businesses to protect and grow their IP portfolios, strengthen their competitive positions, and enter new markets. I saw how closely IP decisions are tied to business strategy, investment, and a company’s ability to compete.
At the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, where I served as Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Deputy Director, I had responsibility for the other side of the equation: making sure the system delivered high-quality, timely, and reliable services to the people who depend on it. My work in academia and research commercialization gave me an additional perspective on the challenges inventors face in moving an idea from the laboratory to the marketplace.
I bring all of those perspectives to WIPO. A patent system has to work for the inventor seeking protection, the company deciding where to invest, and the IP office responsible for administering the system. If it does not work well in practice, its value is diminished.
That is why I see intellectual property as more than a legal framework. It is part of the infrastructure that enables innovation, supports business growth, and helps turn new ideas into economic and societal value.
What are your top priorities as you begin this new role, and how do you see the sector evolving to meet the needs of innovators in an increasingly digital and technology-driven economy?
My first priority is to make sure our services continue to meet the needs of the people who use them. That means maintaining quality and reliability while looking for ways to make the international patent system more efficient and easier to navigate.
The Patent Cooperation Treaty, or PCT, is central to that work. It has long served as a one-stop shop for the international filing stage of seeking patent protection in multiple countries. It gives applicants a common starting point and more time and information to decide where to pursue protection. We need to keep making that process as useful and predictable as possible.
We also need to pay attention to who can use the system. Large companies may have teams of patent attorneys and specialists. An individual inventor or a small business may not. They need clear information and practical guidance to understand their options and make sound decisions about protecting an invention.
And we need to keep looking ahead. Artificial intelligence, biotechnology, quantum computing, advanced manufacturing, and the like are changing the innovation landscape. Our job is to make sure the IP system keeps pace without losing sight of the services innovators need today. That means a system that works across borders, holds up in digital markets, and gives investors the confidence to back new ideas. Getting there will take closer work between IP offices and the people who use them, and partners like the US Chamber of Commerce are a big part of that.
The technologies of tomorrow are being invented today. Our responsibility is to make sure the IP system is ready to support them.
The global innovation landscape is changing rapidly, with breakthroughs in areas such as artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and advanced manufacturing. How can WIPO help ensure that the international IP system continues to support advancements in innovation worldwide?
No one can predict exactly where the next major breakthrough will come from. What we can do is make sure the international IP system is equipped to respond, wherever innovation takes place and whatever form it takes.
WIPO has an important role in bringing countries, IP offices, businesses, researchers, and technical experts together. These groups do not always approach emerging issues from the same perspective. Bringing them into the same conversation helps build understanding and identify where cooperation can make a difference.
We also need to help IP offices develop the expertise and tools to do their jobs well. That includes sharing experience, improving access to technical resources, and helping offices learn from one another. It is equally important that countries develop and retain their own expertise. They need people who understand their national innovation ecosystems and can administer their IP systems and shape policies suited to their own economic priorities. WIPO’s support helps countries strengthen their IP systems in ways that respect their sovereignty, reflect their national priorities, and stage of development, while building the national expertise and institutional capacity needed to foster innovation and economic growth at home.
Technology can help, too. AI-assisted translation and patent search, for example, can make technical information more accessible across languages and jurisdictions. We should take advantage of those opportunities while applying the necessary care and judgment in how the tools are used.
Ultimately, innovators need an international IP system they can understand and rely on. It must provide enough predictability to support investment, adapt as technology changes, and remain accessible to people and businesses around the world. That support must reflect each country's own priorities and stage of development, and help ensure that the benefits of the IP system can contribute to innovation and economic growth locally
In your view, why is it important for WIPO to remain focused on its core mandate of promoting and protecting IP, and how can the organization best deliver value to its stakeholders by staying anchored to that mission?
WIPO’s mandate is to promote the protection of intellectual property throughout the world through cooperation among states. It is a clear mission, and it remains as important as ever in an economy increasingly driven by knowledge and technology.
The patent system illustrates why. Innovation rarely happens in isolation. Inventors build on discoveries, research, and technical advances that came before them. The patent system seeks to encourage that progress by offering time-limited exclusive rights in exchange for public disclosure of an invention.
That exchange matters. It gives inventors an incentive to invest in developing new technologies while making technical knowledge available to others. When patent protection expires, the patented invention generally becomes available for others freely. The system is designed to encourage both invention and further innovation.
For WIPO, the challenge is to make that system work effectively across borders. Our services need to be reliable, our information useful, and our work responsive to the needs of inventors, businesses, and IP offices.
We should be judged by whether we are making a practical difference: whether applicants can navigate the international system more effectively, whether IP offices have the tools and expertise they need, and whether our work helps countries strengthen their IP systems.
That is how we deliver on our mandate and demonstrate WIPO’s value.
What opportunities do you see for further improving WIPO’s work in the patents and technology sector to better support companies operating across multiple jurisdictions?
Companies operating across borders face a familiar challenge: each jurisdiction has its own requirements, procedures, timelines, and costs. Some differences are necessary, but we should look for ways to reduce unnecessary complexity.
The PCT is a good example of what international cooperation can achieve. It provides a single international filing route for applicants seeking patent protection in multiple countries. It does not grant a worldwide patent; national and regional offices make the decisions on granting protection under their applicable laws. But the PCT helps applicants manage the early stages of the process and make better-informed decisions about where to proceed.
We should continue improving that service and making it easier to use.
The Global IP Assignment Platform is another promising development. Recording changes in ownership across multiple jurisdictions can involve repetitive administrative work. A more coordinated process across participating jurisdictions can make that task simpler for businesses.
Access to good information is also important. PATENTSCOPE, WIPO Translate, and AI-assisted search can help companies understand the existing patent landscape, follow developments in their fields, and make more informed decisions about research and investment.
Finally, IP offices can benefit from working more closely together, sharing experience, and making effective use of existing work where appropriate. The aim is not to diminish national sovereignty or replace national IP resources and expertise, but to reduce unnecessary duplication and improve efficiency through cooperation.
For businesses, these improvements can mean less time spent navigating procedures and more time focused on developing and commercializing technology.
U.S. companies are among the world's leading innovators and significant users of the international IP system. How can the U.S. Chamber’s member companies engage constructively with you and the WIPO Secretariat to help advance their IP interests and strengthen IP protections in global markets?
WIPO welcomes the active engagement of U.S. companies. The United States is one of the world’s leading centers of innovation, and American businesses are significant users of the international IP system. Their experience is valuable in ensuring that the system remains effective, practical, and responsive to the needs of innovators.
We should build on the strong foundation of cooperation between WIPO and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, including our memorandum of understanding. Joint events, policy dialogue, training, and information-sharing provide opportunities to exchange expertise, address practical challenges, and strengthen IP protection and enforcement in global markets.
I would encourage Chamber members to share their direct experience using the international IP system. Companies can help identify where procedures work well, where obstacles remain, and what changes would make a meaningful difference. Specific examples of challenges and their business impact are particularly useful. Companies can also contribute their expertise on emerging technologies and participate in relevant consultations and forums.
It is equally important to hear from businesses of different sizes and across sectors. Their perspectives and priorities may differ, and WIPO must take account of the needs of its entire membership. Our shared objective should be a strong and reliable international IP system that supports innovation, investment, and economic growth.
Having worked directly with businesses and in government, I understand the importance of connecting policy with practical experience. I welcome continued engagement with the Chamber and its members and look forward to building on our strong partnership.
Looking ahead, what would success look like at the end of your first few years as DDG, and what message would you like to send to innovators, entrepreneurs, and businesses that depend on a strong international intellectual property system?
I would want to see real improvements in the way people experience the international patent system. Are our services reliable and easier to navigate? Is the PCT continuing to meet applicants’ needs? Are our translation and search tools helping people find and use technical information? Are we making cross-border administration less burdensome? And are individual inventors and smaller businesses better able to understand their options?
I would also want to see IP offices better equipped to meet the demands they face. WIPO can help countries strengthen institutional capacity, share expertise, and develop their own national capabilities. That matters because a strong international system depends on effective institutions at the national and regional levels, too.
Above all, success means that innovators and businesses can have confidence in the system and understand how to use it to support their work.
My message is simple: IP protection is a critical part of the innovation process, but the system has to work in practice. Inventors need to understand their options, businesses need a reliable framework for investment, and IP offices need the capacity to deliver the services their users expect.
The PCT shows the value of countries working together to make seeking protection across borders more manageable. WIPO can build on that foundation by improving its services, supporting IP offices, and making the system more accessible to the people who rely on it.
Innovation happens everywhere. Our responsibility is to help ensure that the international IP system can support it.
About the author
Brad Watts
Brad Watts is the Senior Vice President at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Global Innovation Policy Center (GIPC). He works with U.S. Chamber members to foster a political, legal, and economic environment where innovators and creators can invest in the next big thing for the benefit of Americans and the world.
