Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden has appointed Maria Strong as acting register of Copyrights and director of the U.S. Copyright Office, succeeding register of Copyrights Karyn Temple, who announced last week that she will be leaving the Copyright Office to accept a new position as the global general counsel of the Motion Picture Association. Strong's appointment will begin January 5, 2020.
Strong has served as associate register of Copyrights and director of Policy and International Affairs since April 23, 2019. She joined the Copyright Office in 2010, and prior to that spent 19 years in private practice in Washington, DC, representing clients from the media, technology, and entertainment sectors. She began her legal career as a staff attorney at the Federal Communications Commission.
In a December 18 statement, Hayden said she was pleased to announce Strong's acting appointment. “Maria has had a stellar career here in the Copyright Office, and we are confident that she will ably guide the office and continue to advance its many ongoing initiatives like modernization while we undertake the search for a permanent appointee,” Hayden said.
Outgoing register Karen Temple also endorsed the appointment. “Maria Strong is an extremely talented lawyer and manager, and I have greatly enjoyed working with her over the years," Temple offered. "She will serve the Copyright Office and the public well during this transition."
