Maria A. Pallante (born February 5, 1964) is the president and chief executive officer of the Association of American Publishers, a publishing industry trade association. Pallante is an American attorney who previously served as the 12th United States

Register of Copyrights The Register of Copyrights is the director of the United States Copyright Office within the Library of Congress, as provided by . The Office has been headed by a Register since 1897. The Register is appointed by, and responsible to, the Libraria ...

. She was appointed Acting Register effective January 1, 2011, succeeding

Marybeth Peters Marybeth Peters (June 12, 1939 – September 29, 2022) was an American attorney who served as the 11th United States Register of Copyrights from August 7, 1994 to December 31, 2010. Background Prior to serving as register, Peters held the posi ...

, who retired effective December 31, 2010. On June 1, 2011, she was appointed to the position which was intended to be permanent. Prior to her appointment, Pallante had served in the

Copyright Office The United States Copyright Office (USCO), a part of the Library of Congress, is a United States government body that maintains records of copyright registration, including a copyright catalog. It is used by copyright title searchers who are ...

as Associate Register for Policy and International Affairs (2008–2010); Deputy General Counsel (2007–2008); and Policy Advisor (1996–1997). Pallante had been a resident of

Westville, New Jersey Westville is a borough in Gloucester County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the borough's population was 4,288,Guggenheim Museums The Guggenheim Museums are a group of museums in different parts of the world established (or proposed to be established) by the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation. Museums in this group include: Locations Americas * The Solomon R. Guggenh ...

(1999-2007), Executive Director of the

National Writers Union National Writers Union (NWU), founded on 19 November 1981, is the trade union in the United States for freelance and contract writers: journalists, book and short fiction authors, business and technical writers, web content providers and poets. ...

(1993-1995), and Assistant Director of the

Authors Guild The Authors Guild is America's oldest and largest professional organization for writers and provides advocacy on issues of free expression and copyright protection. Since its founding in 1912 as the Authors League of America, it has counted among ...

(1991-1993). Shortly after becoming the Register of Copyrights, Pallante proposed an ambitious plan to reinvent and update copyright law and move the Copyright Office into the 21st century. In her paper, titled ''The Next Great Copyright Act'' she states in part "it is difficult to see how a twenty-first century copyright law could function well without a twenty-first century agency". In a letter to congressman

John Conyers John James Conyers Jr. (May 16, 1929October 27, 2019) was an American politician of the Democratic Party who served as a U.S. representative from Michigan from 1965 to 2017. The districts he represented always included part of western Detroit. ...

Jr. she said that the copyright office should no longer be part of the library, citing several concerns including "mounting operational tensions." On October 21, 2016, Pallante was abruptly removed from her position. Librarian of Congress

Carla Hayden Carla Diane Hayden (born August 10, 1952) is an American librarian and the 14th Librarian of Congress. Since the creation of the office of the Librarian of Congress in 1802, Hayden is both the first African American and the first woman to hold t ...

said she had been appointed senior advisor for digital strategy, an appointment made without Pallante's prior knowledge. Rather than accept the position, Pallante submitted her resignation on October 24, 2016. Recording artist

Don Henley Donald Hugh Henley (born July 22, 1947) is an American musician and a founding member of the rock band Eagles. He is the drummer and one of the lead singers for the Eagles. Henley sang the lead vocals on Eagles hits such as "Witchy Woman", "Despe ...

said Pallante’s ouster was “an enormous blow” to artists, and that Pallante was "a champion of copyright and stood up for the creative community." Pallante was criticized by public interest groups for having supported controversial legislation such as the

Stop Online Piracy Act The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) was a controversial proposed United States congressional bill to expand the ability of U.S. law enforcement to combat online copyright infringement and online trafficking in counterfeit goods. Introduced on Oc ...

, having objected to a proposal by the FCC to enable an open platform for television set-top boxes, based on consultation with the content industry, and the Office having spent $12 million over five years on a failed attempt to implement a new computer system at the Copyright Office. Karyn Temple became acting register of copyrights.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pallante, Maria A. George Washington University Law School alumni Misericordia University alumni People from Westville, New Jersey Living people 1964 births United States Registers of Copyright