Maria Pallante

Maria A. Pallante (born February 5, 1964)[2] is the president and chief executive officer of the Association of American Publishers, a publishing industry trade association.[3] Pallante is an American attorney who previously served as the 12th United States Register of Copyrights. She was appointed Acting Register effective January 1, 2011, succeeding Marybeth Peters, who retired effective December 31, 2010.[4] On June 1, 2011, she was appointed to the position which was intended to be permanent.[5]

Maria Pallante
Maria Pallante, Register of Copyrights
12th Register of Copyrights
In office June 1, 2011 – October 21, 2016[1]
Appointed by	James H. Billington
Succeeded by	Karyn Temple (acting)
Acting Register of Copyrights
In office January 1, 2011 – May 31, 2011
Preceded by	Marybeth Peters
Personal details
Born	February 5, 1964
Alma mater	George Washington University Law School (J.D.), Misericordia University
Occupation	Attorney

Prior to her appointment, Pallante had served in the Copyright Office as Associate Register for Policy and International Affairs (2008–2010); Deputy General Counsel (2007–2008); and Policy Advisor (1996–1997).[5]

Pallante had been a resident of Westville, New Jersey.[6]

Aside from working for the Copyright Office, Pallante had been intellectual property counsel for the Guggenheim Museums (1999-2007),[7] Executive Director of the National Writers Union (1993-1995),[7] and Assistant Director of the Authors Guild (1991-1993).[7]

Shortly after becoming the Register of Copyrights, Pallante proposed an ambitious plan to reinvent and update copyright law and move the Copyright Office into the 21st century. In her paper, titled The Next Great Copyright Act she states in part "it is difficult to see how a twenty-first century copyright law could function well without a twenty-first century agency".[8] In a letter to congressman John Conyers Jr. she said that the copyright office should no longer be part of the library, citing several concerns including "mounting operational tensions."[9]

On October 21, 2016, Pallante was abruptly removed from her position. Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden said she had been appointed senior advisor for digital strategy, an appointment made without Pallante's prior knowledge. Rather than accept the position, Pallante submitted her resignation on October 24, 2016.[10] Recording artist Don Henley said Pallante’s ouster was “an enormous blow” to artists, and that Pallante was "a champion of copyright and stood up for the creative community.".[11] Pallante was criticized by public interest groups for having supported controversial legislation such as the Stop Online Piracy Act, having objected to a proposal by the FCC to enable an open platform for television set-top boxes, based on consultation with the content industry, and the Office having spent $12 million over five years on a failed attempt to implement a new computer system at the Copyright Office.[12] Karyn Temple became acting register of copyrights.[1][13]

References

1. "Librarian of Congress Makes Senior-Level Appointments".
2. "Pallante, Maria A., 1964-", Public Catalog, United States Copyright Office
3. "The Association of American Publishers (AAP) Names Maria A. Pallante as President and CEO". AAP Newsroom. Association of American Publishers. January 12, 2017. Retrieved January 17, 2017.
4. "Maria Pallante Appointed Acting Register of Copyrights". News from the Library of Congress. Library of Congress. 2010-12-17. Retrieved 2011-06-01.
5. "Maria Pallante Appointed 12th Register of Copyrights". News from the Library of Congress. Library of Congress. 2011-06-01. Retrieved 2011-06-01.
6. Staff. "Copyright chief eyes web conflict", Seattle Post-Intelligencer, June 6, 2011. Accessed October 26, 2015. "A native of Westville, N.J., Pallante, who has two children, has spent most of her career hopping back and forth between New York and Washington."
7. "Maria Pallante, Acting Register of Copyrights, Biographical Information". U.S. Copyright Office. Retrieved 2018-01-16.
8. Pallante, Maria. "The Next Great Copyright Act" (PDF). Copyright.gov. Retrieved 6 October 2015.
9. "Librarian of Congress Removes Head of Copyright," Roll Call Oct. 21, 2016.
10. Robert Levine, "Maria Pallante's Departure From the Copyright Office: What It Means and Why It Matters," Hollywood Reporter (Oct. 25, 2016).
12. "Big content cheers as Congress votes on changes to US Copyright Office". Ars Technica. Retrieved 27 April 2017.
13. Levine, Robert (October 21, 2016). "Maria Pallante Removed as U.S. Register of Copyrights". Billboard. Retrieved October 24, 2016.

External links

• "Copyright Society's Eleventh Christopher A. Meyer Memorial Lecture, Guest Speaker Maria Pallante". Copyright Alliance. November 20, 2013. Archived from the original on February 2, 2014. Retrieved January 19, 2014. Drafts of a newly revised edition of the Compendium of Copyright Office Practices is expected to be made available to the public sometime in January 2014 according to remarks made by the current Register of Copyrights, Maria Pallante