Copyright Office Welcomes New Ringer Fellow
Issue No. 844 - July 13, 2020

The U.S. Copyright Office is pleased to announce that Melinda Kern has joined the Office as a fellow (2020–2022) in the Barbara A. Ringer Copyright Honors Program. She started her two-year appointment this month and will receive assignments from multiple departments within the Copyright Office, including the Office of the Register, Office of the General Counsel, Office of Policy and International Affairs, Office of Public Information and Education, and Office of Registration Policy and Practice.

Acting Register of Copyrights Maria Strong appointed Kern after a competitive application and interview process. The program—named for Barbara A. Ringer, who served as Register from 1973 to 1980—offers promising early-career copyright lawyers an opportunity to work on a variety of advanced legal and policy issues.

"Melinda brings a deep interest in copyright law and continues our tradition of onboarding highly talented lawyers to the Ringer Fellows Program," Strong said. "We are pleased to have her join us and look forward to her contributions to the many legal, regulatory, and policy issues that the Copyright Office is working on during these very busy and challenging times."

Kern earned her law degree at the George Washington University Law School in 2017, where she was a member of the Latin American Law Students Association, the Student Intellectual Property Law Association, the Cyberlaw Students Association, and the Vintners and Brewers Legal Society. During law school, she interned at the Recording Industry Association of America and the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. After law school, she served as a law clerk at the U.S. Copyright Office. Kern received her bachelor of arts degree in government and world affairs from the University of Tampa.

The Copyright Office launched the Ringer Honors Program in 2013. It offers 18- to 24-month paid fellowships to attorneys who are no more than five years out of law school and have a strong record of achievement and demonstrated interest in copyright law. For more information, please visit the Ringer Fellowship webpage.