George Thuronyi

George Thuronyi is the deputy director of the Office of Public Information and Education (PIE) at the United States Copyright Office. He was appointed to the position effective April 29, 2018.

Thuronyi assists the Associate Register of Copyrights and Director of PIE in providing authoritative information about copyright law to the public. PIE implements the Office’s communications plan, publishes comprehensive written and audiovisual materials, develops education and outreach programs, and responds to public inquiries about Office policies and practices.

Thuronyi also served as interim head of PIE from July 27, 2021, to May 7, 2022, and as acting director of PIE from December 1, 2017, to March 31, 2018. He has been with the Copyright Office since 1999, always working to educate and communicate with the public and creative community. He has served in various roles as acting chief, assistant chief, and Recordation Section head. Thuronyi was one of the agency’s early webmasters, when the internet was a new way of reaching people. He designed the first web-based copyright catalog search system that gave users easy access to millions of copyright records.

Thuronyi started his career at the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS). There, he was a writer-editor, publishing a book review magazine. He also wrote a book on the history of a volunteer equipment-repair program. He set up the NLS web presence and worked on Web-Braille, the world’s first full-text digital Braille distribution system.

Thuronyi is a graduate of the Library’s Leadership Development Program. He has a bachelor of science in journalism from the University of Maryland, focusing on public relations and minoring in German.