November 03, 2009

By By Edward Christman, N.Y.

The Senate Committee on the Judiciary has scheduled a hearing on nominations for tomorrow, including that of Victoria Espinel as the first Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator. The hearing will be held at 2 p.m. in Room 226 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

Industry trade organizations like the Copyright Alliance and the National
Music Publishers Assn. are urging the committee to endorse Espinel and
rapidly move her nomination to to the Senate floor for a confirmation vote.

"Given the state of the U.S. economy, there should be no further delay in
her mission to better protect U.S. intellectual property, which makes [a]
significant contribution to our nation's economic recovery," the Copyright
Alliance executive director Patrick Ross wrote in a Nov. 3 letter to the
Senate Judiciary Committee chairman, Senator Patrick Leahy, that it made public.

Likewise, the NMPA, a member of the Copyright Alliance, also sent a letter to Sen. Leahy and Sen. Jeff Sessions, the ranking member of the Senate
Judiciary Committee, urging a quick confirmation. NMPA president and CEO David M. Israelite wrote in a Nov. 2 letter, "Ms. Espinel will bring policy expertise and political savvy to this role [U.S. Intellectual Property
Enforcement Coordinator], which requires working with agencies across the government to improve efficiency and effectiveness."

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