JDG Completes Search for the 14th Register of Copyrights for the Library of Congress
September 23, 2020 – Rockville, MD-based executive search firm JDG Associates has assisted the Library of Congress in the selection of Shira Perlmutter as its Register of Copyrights. Ms. Perlmutter will step into the role in late October and will assume leadership of the organization during its 150th year. Darren DeGioia, president of the search firm, led the assignment.
“Shira brings to this role a deep knowledge of domestic and international copyright law and policy and a background in negotiating international intellectual property agreements. She has experience working with a wide range of stakeholders and finding common ground on complex issues,” said Carla Hayden, Librarian of Congress.
“The Library of Congress has made an outstanding choice,” said Andrei Iancu, under secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). “I and the entire USPTO team congratulate Shira and wish her much success in her new and critically important role. As one of the nation’s most preeminent copyright experts, Shira is extremely well qualified to lead the copyright office. I look forward to working with her and continuing the USPTO’s longstanding and close collaboration with the copyright office.”
Ms. Perlmutter has served since 2012 as chief policy officer and director for international affairs at the USPTO, working in all areas of intellectual property, including copyright. She was a liaison for the USPTO to other agencies including the U.S. Copyright Office, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) and the U.S. Department of State.
At USPTO, Ms. Perlmutter guided the work of teams of policy experts, the Office of the Chief Economist and the IP Attaché program, oversaw the development and implementation of training and outreach plans, and served as lead author on significant Department of Commerce papers on copyright issues. She co-led the U.S. delegations that negotiated two copyright treaties at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), notably the Marrakesh Treaty and the Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual Performance.
Prior to USPTO, Ms. Perlmutter served as executive vice president for global legal policy at the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry in London, where she was responsible for the development and international coordination of policy positions on copyright, trade and other legal issues for six years. She previously served as vice president and associate general counsel, intellectual property policy, for Time Warner Inc. From 1995 to 1999, Ms. Perlmutter served as associate register for policy and international affairs at the U.S. Copyright Office.
The World’s Largest Library
The Library of Congress is the world’s largest library, offering access to the creative record of the U.S. — and extensive materials from around the world — both on-site and online. It is the main research arm of the U.S. Congress and the home of the U.S. Copyright Office.
The Register of Copyrights is appointed by the Librarian of Congress, and acts under the Librarian’s general direction and supervision. The law directs the Register to advise Congress on national and international issues related to copyright and related matters, provide information and assistance on copyright matters to other federal agencies and the judiciary, participate in meetings of international intergovernmental organizations and meetings with foreign government officials, conduct studies and programs regarding copyright, and to perform such other functions that Congress may direct or as may be appropriate in furtherance of the functions identified in the U.S. Code.
JDG Associates has been providing executive recruitment services to Fortune 1000 corporations, associations and non-profits, federal, state and local governments, research and consulting firms and defense contractors since 1973. The firm’s research-intensive process and personal approach have resulted in more than 4,000 senior-level searches across a broad spectrum of industries and disciplines in the Washington, D.C. region and nationally.
Mr. DeGioia conducts senior-level search assignments for research and consulting organizations as well as the public sector. His areas of expertise include information technology, accounting and finance, the quantitative sciences, operations / general management, marketing and communications. Prior to joining JDG, Mr. DeGioia spent four years in the hospitality industry with the Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts and Sheraton Hotels.
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
