Gary Smith

Founder, Director Emeritus, and Program Faculty for Selected Programs
Headshot Gary Smith

Founder and Director Emeritus, Gary Smith served in the United Nations diplomatic corps as the Director of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) at The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Geneva, Switzerland from 1995 through 2002. Gary directed 500 staff from over 50 countries carrying out the legal, operational, administrative, and developmental activities of the treaty. During this period Gary oversaw reform that made the PCT system more user friendly and cost efficient. In addition, he lectured extensively and presented numerous workshops to patent offices and patent practitioners throughout the world on the use of the PCT system, including India, China, Singapore, Korea, The Philippines, Russia, Australia, Mexico and Brazil.

After leaving WIPO at the end of 2002, Gary returned to the United States where he continues his work in intellectual property. In addition to founding the PCT Learning Center in 2008, he completed consultancies to the Turkish Patent Institute, the Serbian Intellectual Property Office, the Egyptian Patent Office, INDECOPI in Lima, Peru, and the IP Office in Colombia from 2004 to 2016. In 2017-18 Gary completed a consultancy for Jamaica, Belize, and Trinidad and Tobago. He also provides expert advice in litigation and opposition proceedings related to the PCT. He is a patent agent, registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

Prior to his appointment at WIPO, Gary served 25 years at the USPTO as a patent examiner, Supervisory Primary Examiner, and Director of the PCT International Division.