Maria Strong Appointed Director of Policy and International Affairs
Issue No. 765 - April 24, 2019
Register of Copyrights Karyn A. Temple announced that Maria Strong will serve as Associate Register of Copyrights and Director of Policy and International Affairs at the United States Copyright Office, effective April 23, 2019. Strong has served as deputy director of policy and international affairs for the Copyright Office since January 2015.
“Maria has been a valued part of the leadership team for many years,” said Temple. “The Office has often benefitted from her wise counsel, stewardship, and well-known expertise in copyright law. She will continue to be an important asset to the Office in her new position.”
In her position, Strong will assist the Register with critical policy functions of the Office, including domestic and international policy analyses, legislative support, and trade negotiations. She directs the Office of Policy and International Affairs, which represents the U.S. Copyright Office at meetings of government officials concerned with the international aspects of copyright protection and enforcement, and provides regular support to Congress and its committees.
Upon joining the Copyright Office in 2010, Strong served as senior counsel for policy and international affairs and also served as acting general counsel from April to July 2013. Before joining the Office, she spent nineteen years in private practice in Washington, DC, where she represented clients in the media, technology, and entertainment sectors and provided analyses and advocacy on global and domestic issues involving copyright law, enforcement, trade policy, and e-commerce. She began her legal career as a staff attorney at the Federal Communications Commission.
Strong earned her JD from George Washington University Law School, her MA in communications management from the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School of Communications, and her BA in communication studies from UCLA.