Jacqueline C. Charlesworth Appointed
General Counsel and Associate Register of Copyrights
Issue No. 514 - July 30, 2013
Register of Copyrights Maria A. Pallante announced today that she has appointed Jacqueline C. Charlesworth as General Counsel of the U.S. Copyright Office and Associate Register of Copyrights. Charlesworth most recently served as Senior Counsel to the Register, advising the Register on a broad range of legal and policy matters affecting the Copyright Office and the national copyright system, including litigation, rulemakings and a Congressionally directed study regarding small copyright claims.
“Jacqueline has an exceptional skill set as both a copyright attorney and a manager,” said Pallante. “Her experience and energy are well suited to the complex portfolio of this position, and as General Counsel she will no doubt make important contributions to the Copyright Office and the field of copyright law in the years ahead.”
In her new role, Charlesworth will manage the staff and functions of the General Counsel’s Office. That office provides legal guidance to the various divisions and programs of the Copyright Office, including the national registration and recordation systems, and is frequently called upon by Congressional offices, the Department of Justice and other federal agencies for advice and assistance. The General Counsel is a recognized expert within the U.S. government and the broader legal community regarding the interpretation and application of the Copyright Act.
“It is truly an honor to have the opportunity to serve as General Counsel of an institution that is so central to our nation’s creativity,” said Charlesworth. “I look forward to working with the Register and my colleagues to advance the goals of our copyright system in the twenty-first century.”
Charlesworth joined the Copyright Office in 2012 following several years of private practice at New York City law firms, including Morrison & Foerster LLP, where she represented copyright owners and users of copyrighted works in litigation, regulatory, and transactional matters. From 2006 to 2008, Charlesworth served as Senior Vice President and General Counsel of the National Music Publishers’ Association and from 2001 to 2006 was General Counsel of The Harry Fox Agency, Inc., the leading agency in the United States for the licensing of mechanical rights in musical works.
Charlesworth holds a B.A. in American Civilization from Brown University and a J.D. from Yale Law School, where she served as an executive committee editor of The Yale Law Journal. Following law school, Charlesworth clerked for the Honorable Miriam Goldman Cedarbaum of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and the Honorable Betty B. Fletcher of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. (Click for full resolution photo.)