| Victoria A. Espinel | |
|---|---|
A photo of Espinel taken in 2010 |
|
| Born | Victoria Angelica Espinel 16 October 1968 [1] Richmond, Virginia, United States of America |
| Occupation | Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator |
| Hair color | Brown |
| Eye color | Brown |
| Spouse | John Stubbs |
Victoria Angelica Espinel (born October 16, 1968)[1] is the United States Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator for the Office of Management and Budget. She was appointed to the position by Barack Obama on September 25, 2009, and her appointment was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on December 3, 2009.[2] Espinel is the first person to fill this position, and is dutied with the development and implementation of the President's overall strategy for the enforcement of intellectual property.[3] For this reason, Espinel is popularly termed the "Copyright Czar".[4]
Victoria Espinel holds a Master of Law from the London School of Economics (earned in 1997), a Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law School (earned in 1992), and a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service (earned in 1989).[1]
Before joining the Office of the US Trade Representative, Espinel was with the law firms of Covington & Burling in London and Washington, D.C., and Sidley Austin in New York. She also served as an advisor to Romulus Global Issues Management and is a member of the Brain Trust of the Global Innovation Forum.[1]
In 2001, Espinel joined the Office of the US Trade Representative as the senior counsel for intellectual property issues.[3]
In 2005, Espinel was asked to serve as the first Assistant United States Trade Representative for Intellectual Property and Innovation at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, creating the office of Intellectual Property and Innovation at USTR and serving as the chief U.S. trade negotiator for intellectual property and innovation. While at USTR, she testified on numerous occasions before the House Judiciary Committee and the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.[3]
From 2007 to 2009, Espinel was a Visiting Assistant Professor at the George Mason University School of Law. Her areas of teaching and research were intellectual property and international trade.[5] While at George Mason, she acted as an advisor on intellectual property issues to the staff of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senate Finance Committee, House Judiciary Committee and House Ways and Means Committee.[3]
In 2009, Espinel founded Bridging the Innovation Divide, a not-for-profit foundation focused on addressing the "innovation divide" and empowering all Americans to obtain the full benefit of their creativity and ingenuity.[3]
Espinel was confirmed as the Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator on December 3, 2009. This new position was created by Congress through the PRO-IP Act (Prioritizing Resources and Organization for Intellectual Property Act) of 2008.[6] A hearing to consider President Obama's nomination was held on November 4, 2009. On November 19, 2009, the Judiciary Committee ordered the nomination reported to the Senate for consideration.[7] Espinel received eleven letters of in support of the nomination from related organizations including the MPAA, the Copyright Alliance, and the United States Chamber of Commerce.[7] As the IPEC, Espinel has stated she has a singular objective: develop and implement a comprehensive, unified approach to IP enforcement for the U.S. government.[1]
In 2010, Espinel introduced the Joint Strategic Plan to combat intellectual property infringement in an effort to ensure the protection of United States' intellectual property. Espinel's plan aims to improve coordination of law enforcement efforts at the Federal, state and local level, thereby heightening intellectual property regulation which is claimed to create jobs in related sectors. Espinel's plan also sets the groundwork for working with trading partners within international organizations to better enforce American intellectual property rights in the global economy. Finally, Espinel's plan aims to ensure intellectual property security over the internet by encouraging industries to work collaboratively to address unlawful cyberspace activity such as illicit filesharing and illicit online pharmaceutical sales. Espinel's actions have been applauded by copyright groups .[4] A report in Wired shows that the new regulations were largely negotiated between various government agencies (including Ms. Espinel and her agency) and industry trade groups, with little or no public oversight, disclosure, or input from non-industry sources. [8]