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The White House has named a Washington lawyer as the next head of intellectual property enforcement, a position that has been vacant for a year.
Danny Marti, a managing partner at the law firm Kilpatrick Townsend and Stockton LLP, was named by the White House in a statement late Thursday. The Senate must confirm Marti before he can begin work.
Marti was dubbed a “Super Lawyer” for intellectual property by Super Lawyers magazine in 2013 and 2014. His clients have included fashion house Tory Burch, Adidas and the National Academy of the Recording Arts & Sciences, which holds the Grammy Awards, according to a biography on his law firm’s website.
Marti declined an interview request.
Marti will fill a slot held from 2009 until August 2013 by Victoria Espinel, who stepped down to head the anti-piracy Business Software Alliance, whose members include Apple, Dell, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Oracle and Rosetta Stone.
The National Music Publishers Association, one of several groups in Washington that oppose piracy of music, movies and software, welcomed Marti’s nomination.
“The value and economy of art and ideas are only secure if we protect them from infringement, and for creators to thrive, we must remain on the cutting edge of IP enforcement at home and abroad,” said NMPA President David Israelite in an emailed statement.
Comcast, which owns NBCUniversal, released a statement complimenting Marti on his appointment.
(Reporting by Diane Bartz; Editing by Ted Botha and Andrew Hay)
This article originally appeared on Recode.net.
