Obama Names Victoria Espinel To US Intellectual Property Post
President Barack Obama on Friday named Victoria Espinel to be the new U.S. Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator, an administration position created last year by Congress.
The intellectual property coordinator, part of the Office of Management and Budget, is mandated as part of a law aimed at beefing up U.S. enforcement efforts to stop the sale of pirated or counterfeited movies, music, drugs and software.
Espinel is the founder and president of Bridging the Innovation Divide, a not-for-profit foundation. She also was a staffer on Capitol Hill working on intellectual property issues.
In 2005, Espinel was appointed to be the first Assistant United States Trade Representative for Intellectual Property and Innovation at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, serving as the chief U.S. trade negotiator for intellectual property and innovation.
Espinel’s appointment was welcomed by groups keeping on eye on intellectual property protections. “We are anxious to work with Victoria on the development of the first comprehensive national strategy, as mandated by Congress, to address the full range of IP issues now facing American industry, workers, and consumers,” said Mark Esper, executive vice president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Global Intellectual Property Center.
