Team

Stephen Pinkos

Mr. Pinkos is a Senior Advisor at PCT Government Relations, LLC, a bipartisan, public policy advisory firm focused on issues involving an emerging asset class - Intellectual Property (i.e., patents, copyrights and trademarks) and technology.

Prior to joining PCT, from 2004-2007, Mr. Pinkos served as Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Deputy Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). In this position, Mr. Pinkos was a leading intellectual property policy-maker; developed and articulated the Bush Administration’s policy positions on all foreign and domestic patent, trademark and copyright issues. In addition to managing the operations at the USPTO -- an agency with 8,000 employees and a $1.7 billion budget -- Mr. Pinkos was integral to the Bush Administration's efforts to devise and implement strategies to promote the global IP interests of U.S businesses and to thwart the global counterfeiting of U.S. products. This included a leadership role in the STOP! (Strategy Targeting Organized Piracy) initiative, the Administration's cross-agency anti-piracy/counterfeiting campaign. He also spearheaded the USPTO’s efforts to facilitate greater efficiency and stronger cooperation among the USPTO and other IP offices around the world.

Prior to his USPTO appointment, Mr. Pinkos served in the United States Congress for 9 years in various senior staff positions. After working in the office of Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner for 3 years, Mr. Pinkos worked for the House Committee on the Judiciary for six years under Chairmen Hyde and Sensenbrenner. As Committee Staff Director and Deputy General Counsel from 2001-2004, Mr. Pinkos managed the Congressional consideration of significant IP reforms, including the Patent and Trademark Modernization Act of 2003 (passed the House in 2004), Copyright Arbitration Reform (enacted in 2004), and the Madrid Protocol Implementation Act (Trademark legislation enacted in 2002). In addition to his IP work, Mr. Pinkos coordinated a legislative and oversight agenda that included: the Congressional consideration of trade agreements; litigation management proposals; immigration, antitrust and bankruptcy law changes; and law enforcement oversight and legislation, including anti-terrorism laws.

Mr. Pinkos received his B.A. from Miami University and a J.D. from DePaul University College of Law.

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