Robert J. Kasunic Appointed Associate Register of Copyrights and Director of Registration Policy and Practice
Issue No. 501 - April 16, 2013
Register of Copyrights Maria A. Pallante announced April 16, 2013, that she has appointed Robert J. Kasunic to the position of Associate Register of Copyrights and Director of Registration Policy and Practice. Kasunic served most recently as Deputy General Counsel of the Copyright Office, where he oversaw the implementation of policy, regulations, and practices on copyright registration and deposit issues and worked regularly with the Department of Justice on related litigation.
“Rob has deep experience as a technical copyright lawyer and impressive institutional experience within the Copyright Office,” said Pallante. “He is a nationally recognized expert as to the legal standards, regulations, and practices that affect registration, and he will be a great thinker and leader as we create policies for the next generation of authorship.”
In his new role, Kasunic will serve as the principal advisor to the Register on legal and business issues relating to the administration of the national registration system; will manage a large staff of subject matter experts; and will work collaboratively with senior staff across the Copyright Office and the greater Library of Congress to create and maintain 21st century standards for registration of claims, deposit of creative works, and the creation of public records. He will play a major role in implementing the Office’s forthcoming Compendium of Copyright office Practices this fall.
“I am very honored and excited to take over the helm of the Copyright Office’s Registration Program at this critical time,” said Kasunic. “There is much work to be done, but I am confident that we can make the U.S. Copyright Office’s registration system a model for the world.”
Kasunic joined the Copyright Office in 2000 as a senior attorney in the Office of the General Counsel and was elevated to principal legal advisor in 2003. In 2010 he was promoted to Deputy General Counsel and in 2012 served as the acting chief of the Registration Program’s Performing Arts Division. Prior to joining the Office, his private practice included major copyright litigation.
Beyond his work at the Copyright Office, Kasunic has taught copyright law for twenty years and currently serves as an adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law Center and American University’s Washington College of Law. He is also an active writer and speaker, having authored numerous scholarly articles and delivered dozens of presentations and lectures to the copyright community.
Kasunic earned his J.D. from the University of Baltimore School of Law, where he won first prize in the Nathan Burkan Memorial Competition for an article on fair use and photocopying for classroom use. He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Columbia University. (Read more.)