Miriam DeChant Named Associate Register of Copyrights and Director of Public Information and Education

Register of Copyrights Shira Perlmutter has announced the appointment of Miriam DeChant as Associate Register of Copyrights and Director of Public Information and Education (PIE), effective May 8, 2022. DeChant will direct PIE as it provides information about copyright law and practices to the public, implements the Copyright Office’s communications plan, and organizes educational and outreach programs. She is an expert copyright attorney and will serve as one of four legal advisors to the Register of Copyrights.

“I am delighted to welcome Miriam to this important position,” said Perlmutter. “Her knowledge of copyright and her extensive experience managing programs to broaden access to intellectual property systems will be a valuable addition to our senior management team.”

DeChant comes to the Office from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, where she served as director of the Global IP Academy, providing domestic and international intellectual property capacity-building, technical assistance, and education policy and programs. She has served as co-lead of the Gender Committee under the U.S. Department of Commerce Equity Council.

Previously, she directed the Philadelphia Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts and was the founding administrator of the PA Patent pro bono program to provide under-resourced inventors, artists, startups, and creative nonprofits with legal assistance.

DeChant earned a JD from Villanova University School of Law, where she was a member of the Villanova Environmental Law Journal. She has an undergraduate degree in the design field from Colorado State University.