Timothy Trainer

Army brat, veteran, world traveler, foreign student, international trade and government lawyer are all applicable to author Timothy Trainer. Born in Japan to a career soldier, he had a nomadic upbringing. He, too, served in the Army (1972-1975) and his training included foreign language at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, CA, and a course in interrogation. After his service, he earned multiple degrees and studied for sixteen months in Japan. His legal career involved federal government and private sector legal positions in the Washington, D.C., area. He worked at multiple government agencies and traveled extensively as a member of inter-agency negotiating delegations. As a government attorney, he represented the U.S. at meetings of the World Intellectual Property Organization in Geneva. Working in the private sector, he testified before U.S. congressional committees on several occasions. With an emphasis on intellectual property enforcement to combat trade in illicit goods, he worked with INTERPOL, the UN's Economic Commission for Europe and other international organizations. From 2000 to 2020, Mr. Trainer was a committee member and a cleared private sector industry advisor to the U.S. Department of Commerce and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. Mr. Trainer has authored numerous professional articles and books on intellectual property issues. His non-legal books include the novels The China Connection (2023), The China Factor (2024) and Pendulum Over the Pacific (2019). The China Dilemma is scheduled for publication in 2026. His non-fiction book, The Fortunate Son: Top, Through the Eyes of Others is a collection of recollections from Vietnam veterans who served with Mr. Trainer's father in a rifle company in 1968 and 1969.