David O. Carson, the General Counsel of the US Copyright Office, is joining international recorded music industry association IFPI as head of global legal policy.
He will report to chief executive Frances Moore and help coordinate the organisation’s outreach to policymakers worldwide. Carson will join IFPI on 24 September.
Carson joins IFPI from the US Copyright Office, where he has served as General Counsel since 1997, with the exception of 2007-08 when he was Associate Register for Policy and International Affairs.
There he was responsible for liaison on legal and policy matters between the Office and Congress, as well as executive branch agencies, including the Departments of Justice, Commerce, and State, as well as the United States Trade Representative.
He also oversaw the Office’s litigation and regulatory activities, as well as the administration of copyright law. He has been involved on behalf of the United States government in virtually every significant copyright law and policy matter in the past 15 years.
Prior to working at the US Copyright Office, Carson spent 16 years in private practice in Beverly Hills and New York after graduating from Harvard Law School. He is a member of the bars of California and New York, a graduate of Stanford University, where he also received a master’s degree, and a former graduate student of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy.
At IFPI, Carson will coordinate the recorded music industry’s legal policy strategy worldwide, working with governments, lawmakers, other industries and international organisations on a wide variety of copyright issues, including the need to achieve robust legislation to help tackle online piracy and establish a sustainable digital music market.
Frances Moore said: “I am delighted that David Carson has agreed to join IFPI. He has a long and impressive track record of work in the field of intellectual property rights and understands their vital importance to the recorded music sector. He will be a powerful advocate for our industry.”
David O. Carson added: “This is an exciting time to join the recorded music industry. I look forward to working with Frances Moore and the rest of the IFPI team to make the case for ensuring intellectual property rights are respected online, enabling record companies to have a fair opportunity to recoup their costs and invest in the next generation of artistic talent.”Music Business Worldwide
