U.S. Copyright Office Announces Deputy General Counsel and Deputy Director of Policy and International Affairs
Issue No. 566 - January 09, 2015
Register of Copyrights Maria A. Pallante announced today the appointment of Sarang (“Sy”) V. Damle to the position of Deputy General Counsel of the United States Copyright Office and Maria Strong to the position of Deputy Director of Policy and International Affairs, both effective January 12, 2015. They will serve as members of the Copyright Office senior management team and have responsibility for extensive portfolios of law and policy.
Previously, Damle was Special Advisor to the Copyright Office’s General Counsel, assisting with a wide range of legal issues before the Office, including litigation, policy studies, and regulatory proceedings. Before that, he was Senior Counsel at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and an appellate litigator in the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Division. Damle earned his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law, where he graduated first in his class. He also has engineering and business degrees from the University of Pennsylvania.
Strong joined the Copyright Office in 2010 as Senior Counsel for Policy and International Affairs. Among her duties, she has represented the Office as a member of U.S. government delegations at regional trade negotiations and bilateral meetings with foreign governments. Previously, Strong spent almost 20 years in private practice in Washington, D.C., representing clients in the media, technology, and entertainment sectors. Strong has a J.D. from the George Washington University Law School, a master’s degree in communications management from the University of Southern California, and a bachelor’s degree in communication studies from the University of California, Los Angeles.
“Sy and Maria are already highly valued members of the Copyright Office legal team and recognized experts in copyright law, policy, and litigation,” said Pallante. “Their willingness to assume more extensive responsibility as managers will be invaluable as we carry out the ever-important and complex provisions of Title 17.” Damle reports to Jacqueline C. Charlesworth, General Counsel and Associate Register of Copyrights. Strong reports to Karyn Temple Claggett, Associate Register of Copyrights and Director of Policy and International Affairs.
Official photographs and biographies are available here: http://copyright.gov/about/leadership/