ABOUT

Rachel Bae is the Intellectual Property (IP) Attaché covering Europe, which includes the EU and its member states, the United Kingdom and the countries of the European Free Trade Area (EFTA). She advocates for effective IP policies, contributes to bilateral IP-related discussions, and assists U.S. stakeholders navigate the IP framework in the region. In addition, she advances U.S. IP policy objectives in relevant international organizations based in Europe.

Ms. Bae has more than 20 years of applied trade and IP policy experience. Prior to her current role, she served as the Senior Counselor in the Trade and Agriculture Directorate (TAD) of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris, France, where she oversaw and provided strategic direction to advance the Directorate’s work. In particular, she worked closely with the Office of the Secretary-General, as well as with other parts of the OECD, in developing and implementing horizontal projects and on strategies to advance the implementation of OECD advice in member states and partner countries in the areas of trade, including digital trade, and IP. Before her tenure at the OECD, Ms. Bae served as a trade negotiator with the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) at the U.S. Mission to the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva, Switzerland. In this capacity, she was the U.S. delegate to several WTO bodies, including the WTO Councils on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) and Goods, and the Committees on Trade-Related Investment Measures (TRIMS) and Trade and Environment. She also participated in negotiations on trade rules, including fisheries subsidies, the geographical indication (GI) registration system for wines and spirits, and the WTO Environmental Goods Agreement (EGA). Before her posting to Geneva, Ms. Bae was director for Intellectual Property and Innovation at the USTR in Washington, D.C. In addition, Ms. Bae served as an attorney-advisor at the United States Patent and Trademark Office and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Regulations and Rulings.

Ms. Bae is a three-time recipient of the USTR Certificate of Appreciation. She has served as a board member of the Customs Lawyers’ Association and received a World Customs Organization award for meritorious service in the U.S. customs administration.

Ms. Bae holds a J.D. from the University of the Pacific’s McGeorge School of Law and a B.A. in political science and international studies from the University of California, Los Angeles. Ms. Bae is a member of the Maryland State Bar.