Deborah Cohn, Patent and Trademark Official - A Career of Distinction

Deborah Cohn, patent and trademark official spent 31 years in the United States Patent and Trade Office (USPTO). She retired in 2014 as the Commissioner after starting the basement of the office reading over trademark proposals and making recommendations to the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. Cohn worked hard for five years as a Trademark Examining Attorney in the USPTO. In 1988, she received her first promotion in a series of promotions that would eventually land her in the Commissioner’s seat at the USPTO.

 As Managing Attorney, Cohn worked for ten years as the supervisor of 25 examining attorneys. She mentored and trained them; she provided assistance to them when they needed it. She became so popular among the Examining Attorneys her superiors hesitated in giving her the promotions she felt she deserved because she was so valuable where she was. 

Deborah Cohn, patent and trademark official finally moved up from Managing Attorney to Group Director of Trademark Law Offices in 1998. As the Group Director, Cohn oversaw the operation of trademark law offices. It was her responsibility to ensure that all of the trademark law offices performed their legal examinations thoroughly and efficiently, they were productive, they handled customer service well, and they managed their personnel well.

 Cohn had to make many difficult executive decisions during her tenure as Group Director, especially when it came to personnel management. It was important to Deborah Cohn, patent and trademark official and her superiors that all of the trademark law offices under her management worked well with each other and in the context of the USPTO as a whole.

Deborah Cohn’s Patent and Trademark Office History

With her work at the US Patent and Trademarks Office, trademark and patent office professional Deborah Cohn is known today as a powerful figure that has driven the progress of a federal agency through embracing modern and technological ways to allow employees to work from their homes. Long before all of that though, she has a story of climbing to success that is much similar to any story of someone who achieved their goals through hard work and determination. Below, she shares the path that she took to get where she is today.

Education

Like with many successful careers, leading Patent and Trademark office official Deborah Cohn’s Patent knowledge of trademark law came from an outstanding education. She got her BA from American University in 1974 before going on to get her Juris Doctor degree from George Mason University’s School of Law.

Attorney

About a year after receiving her law degree, Deborah Cohn’s career with the US Patent and Trademarks Office took off. As a Trademark Examining Attorney, she examined applications for trademark registration to determine compliance with Lanham Act and Rules of Practice; wrote  legal  briefs  and  presented  oral  arguments  before the  Trademark  Trial  and  Appeal Board.

Commissioner

Longtime trademark and patent office official Deborah Cohn was appointed Commissioner of Trademarks in 2006, and immediately got to pushing her telework agenda to increase cost-efficiency as well as boost the quality of life for her employees. Her program was beyond her time and successful, earning her recognition from politicians and other esteemed individuals as a progressive figure in the administration of federal agencies who embraces new ideas to improve productivity.

From Psychology to Trademark Law - Patent and Trademark Office Official Deborah Cohn’s Academic History

She may have started her professional career by studying psychology, but becoming Commissioner of Trademarks for the United States Patent and Trademark Office has been Deborah Cohn’s longtime dream. Shortly after receiving her degree in psychology, she shifted towards law; and patent law, at that. Deborah Cohn’s dedication to this field has been unyielding since, which is part of the reason why she holds such an esteemed executive position in a federal office. Another part of it could be credited towards the exceptional education she gained from the following institutions.

American University

American University is one of Washington D.C.’s most esteemed private institutions. It has hundreds of programs in a number of different disciplines, with comprehensive four year programs that help form many of today’s business and political figures. Deborah Cohn graduated from here in 1974 with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology.

George Mason University

After doing some graduate work in New York following the reception of her Psychology degree, trademark and patent office official Deborah Cohn decided to steer a different direction down her career path and try law for a change. She enrolled at the George Mason University School of Law in pursuit of her Juris Doctor. While enrolled, her enthusiasm for academia made her a pleasure to be in the classroom with for both her classmates and professors. Her interest in law also sharpened as she grew an interest in patent and trademark infringement issues, which she decided to pursue in her later years of academia. She graduated with her JD in 1982.

Deborah Cohn: Work with Patent and Trademark Office

Deborah Cohn has been with the US Patent and Trademark office since the early 1980’s. She started off in the agency as a Trademark Examining Attorney. She quickly moved up in the ranks throughout the years, first becoming a Managing Attorney, then Group Director, then Deputy Commissioner of Trademarks and eventually Commissioner of Trademarks. Her work within the agency can be most focused around two things: her work in examining, granting and protecting trademarks as well as her telework agenda that bolstered the cost-efficiency of her office.

Trademarks

A trademark is a symbol, word, phrase, or any combination of those things that distinguishes a good or service from everything else, giving it its own individual character than can be universally recognized. With Deborah Cohn’s position in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, she has handled hundreds of cases pertaining to the examination, distribution, maintenance and regulation of trademarks and the policies that implement them. Her extensive work in intellectual property has been the driving influence in the progression of her office as well as the grounds upon which many inventors and businesses invest their confidence.

Telework

One of the biggest contributions Deborah Cohn made to the US Patent and Trademark Office was her telework initiative. She started the program after she became Deputy Commissioner of Trademarks for the agency. The initiative enabled hundreds of worked in the office to complete their daily tasks from home, which helped the office reduce its costs while also making life easier for her workers. Her program was praised by many politicians and heads of federal agencies.