Maria A. Pallante

Maria A. Pallante
Name	Maria A. Pallante
Office	12th Register of Copyrights of the United States
Term start	June 1, 2011
Term end	October 29, 2016
Predecessor	Marybeth Peters
Successor	Karyn Temple (acting)
Birth date	1963
Birth place	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Alma mater	George Washington University (BA), American University (JD)
Profession	Attorney, Copyright Administrator

Maria A. Pallante is an American attorney and copyright law expert who served as the 12th Register of Copyrights of the United States and director of the United States Copyright Office. Appointed by the Librarian of Congress in 2011, her tenure was marked by significant policy debates and modernization efforts for the Copyright Act of 1976. Following her departure from the Library of Congress, she assumed leadership roles at the Association of American Publishers and later as president and CEO of the Association of American Publishers.

Early life and education

Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Pallante pursued her undergraduate studies at George Washington University, earning a Bachelor of Arts. She then attended the Washington College of Law at American University, where she received her Juris Doctor. Her early legal career included work in the publishing sector, providing a foundational understanding of the creative industries that would inform her later policy work.

Career at the U.S. Copyright Office

Pallante joined the United States Copyright Office in the 1990s, serving in several key positions that shaped national copyright policy. She worked as a senior attorney and advisor to the Register of Copyrights, contributing to critical analyses of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and the Sonny Bono Copyright Term Extension Act. Her expertise led to her appointment as deputy general counsel, where she advised on complex domestic and international copyright matters before international bodies like the World Intellectual Property Organization.

Tenure as Register of Copyrights

Appointed by Librarian of Congress James H. Billington, Pallante's tenure as Register of Copyrights began on June 1, 2011. She immediately prioritized modernizing the Copyright Office's aging technological infrastructure and advocated for substantive legislative reform. She authored and oversaw the publication of significant policy reports, including the 2013 "Copyright and the Music Marketplace" report and the 2015 "Orphan Works and Mass Digitization" report. Her office played a central role in the multi-year congressional review of the Copyright Act, testifying frequently before committees such as the House Judiciary Committee and the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Post-Copyright Office career

After leaving the Copyright Office in October 2016, Pallante was appointed senior vice president for government and legal affairs at the Association of American Publishers in 2017. She was subsequently promoted to president and CEO of the Association of American Publishers in 2019, succeeding the retiring Maria A. Sims. In this role, she represents the interests of major publishing houses like Penguin Random House and HarperCollins on critical issues including First Amendment rights, educational fair use, and global intellectual property enforcement.

Views and policy positions

Pallante is recognized as a strong advocate for the rights of authors and creators, often emphasizing the need for a balanced copyright system that fosters both creativity and public access. She has publicly supported updates to the Copyright Act to address challenges posed by the digital age, including reforms for small claims copyright enforcement and clearer exemptions for libraries and archives. Her 2013 speech "The Next Great Copyright Act" outlined a comprehensive vision for legislative reform, arguing for provisions that support both the Berne Convention and evolving business models in the entertainment industry.

Recognition and legacy

Pallante's contributions to copyright law have been widely acknowledged within legal and creative communities. She has received awards from organizations including the Copyright Society of the USA and has been a featured speaker at forums like the Aspen Institute. Her legacy includes initiating critical conversations about modernizing the U.S. Copyright Office and laying substantial groundwork for potential legislative revisions to the Copyright Act, influencing ongoing debates in the United States Congress and at the U.S. Supreme Court.

Category:American lawyers Category:American copyright activists Category:George Washington University alumni Category:American University alumni Category:People from Pittsburgh Category:United States Copyright Office officials