John Cabeca is the U.S. intellectual property (IP) attaché for South Asia serving Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Working through the U.S. embassy in Delhi, India, Mr. Cabeca is the principal officer within the U.S. embassies and consulates throughout South Asia on matters related to the protection and enforcement of IP rights. His duties include assisting U.S. companies doing business in the region; advocating for effective IP policies; advising ambassadors and other U.S. government officials on foreign governments’ IP practices; educating foreign government officials, students, entrepreneurs, startups, and business representatives on the IP landscape; and conducting public awareness programs to support a strong and vibrant IP system globally.

 

Before assuming his role as an IP Attaché, Mr. Cabeca worked at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for over 30 years. He was appointed to the Senior Executive Service in 2008 and served in key leadership roles across the agency. Most recently, Mr. Cabeca was the Regional Director for the Silicon Valley USPTO in San Jose, California, where he established and led the regional office. In serving the western region of the United States, John worked across the innovation ecosystem at all levels to carry out the strategic direction on IP policy for the USPTO while relentlessly advocating for the needs of intellectual property stakeholders.

 

John also served on special assignment to the Executive Office of the President in the United States Trade Representative's Office (USTR), where he worked on international intellectual property rights and enforcement priorities for USTR’s Office for Intellectual Property and the Office for Japan, Korea, and Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum Affairs.

 

In 2019, Mr. Cabeca was recognized by the head of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management for his leadership role as Chair of the San Francisco Federal Executive Board and his service to the nearly 50,000 federal employees working in over 450 agencies and offices across northern California. Mr. Cabeca is a graduate of Widener University with a bachelor's of science degree in electrical engineering. He is also an advisory board member emeritus for the High Tech Law Institute at Santa Clara University School of Law.