U.S. Department of Commerce's International Trade Administration Internship

Internship Position 

Spring 2027 – Summer 2027 (end date flexible)

U.S. Federal Government

U.S. Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration, Office of Standards and Intellectual Property 

Overview:

The Office of Standards and Intellectual Property (OSIP) within the Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration (ITA) seeks applicants with an interest in international trade policy and intellectual property (IP) rights. The internship will provide broad practical exposure to intellectual property policymaking, including as presented in the annual Special 301 report. 

Responsibilities: 

This position is located in the Office of Standards & Intellectual Property (OSIP), within the Industry and Analysis (I&A) unit of ITA.  Position responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Assist with OSIP coordination on the annual Special 301 Report, including:
  • Read, analyze, and summarize public submissions;
  • Attend stakeholder briefings;
• Assist with the STOPfakes program, including: 
  • Outreach to U.S. companies and small- and medium-sized exporters;
  • Create new toolkits and brochures on IP for STOPfakes.gov;
  • Maintain and update content on the STOPfakes.gov website;
  • Review stakeholder complaints submitted to the STOPfakes team, and direct stakeholders to appropriate U.S. Government contacts;
• Assist with analytical work addressing critical trade issues related to the protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights:
  • Monitor the efforts of foreign governments to comply with treaty obligations to provide adequate protection to intellectual property rights;
  • Monitor, analyze, and summarize the impact on non-tariff trade barriers on IP-intensive industries;
• Work closely with IP intra- and interagency colleagues in the U.S. Government, including the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO), Department of State, Office of the United States Trade Representative, etc. 

Qualifications: 

Competitive applicants will have familiarity and experience in the following areas:

• Knowledge of trade issues related to the protection of intellectual property rights, including but not limited to the WTO Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs), and treaties administered by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO);
• Interest in bilateral and multilateral trade issues relating to intellectual property rights;
• Interest in evaluating the efforts of foreign governments to comply with trade obligations to provide adequate protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights of U.S. exporters;
• Be detail-oriented and able to manage long-term projects effectively;
• Be skilled in time management and effective at balancing multiple projects at once;
• Be willing to learn (or already have a background in) Salesforce and SharePoint;
• Have proven ability to work in both a team environment and independently;
• U.S. citizenship and passing a background check are required.

NOTE: Position is eligible for university credit. Please confirm with your university and advisor, and make a note in your application that you will be seeking course credit.

Meet Our Office: https://www.trade.gov/about-us/office-standards-and-intellectual-property