Kilpatrick partner named US intellectual property enforcement coordinator

Managing IP is part of Legal Benchmarking Limited, 1-2 Paris Gardens, London, SE1 8ND

Copyright © Legal Benchmarking Limited and its affiliated companies 2026

Accessibility | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Modern Slavery Statement

Cookies Settings

Kilpatrick partner named US intellectual property enforcement coordinator

Danny Marti, partner at Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton, has been nominated by President Barack Obama to become the next US intellectual property enforcement coordinator

danny20marti200.jpg

The position –dubbed the White House’s “piracy czar” for its emphasis on tackling copyright infringement—is housed at the White House’s Office of Management and Budget. According to the coordinator’s office website, the role is dedicated more broadly to the protection of intellectual property in America.

Marti, who has previously served as the chair of Kilpatrick’s diversity council and co-chair of its intellectual asset acquisitions and transactions team, takes the role that Victoria Espinel left in August 2013. He will require Senate confirmation before assuming the role.

Marti’s nomination was greeted across the entertainment spectrum. Positive statements were issued from such institutions as the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), the Recording Industry Association of America, the Entertainment Software Association, and NBCUniversal, among others.

“Danny’s impressive record of commitment to enforcing IP rights in the Internet age makes him a particularly strong choice,” said MPAA CEO and former Senator Chris Dodd. “We urge the Senate to confirm him without delay for this important job.”

David Hirschman, president and CEO, Global Intellectual Property Center, also commented: "We are pleased to see the administration moving forward with filling this critical role and the Chamber is anxious to build on the successes and momentum already established by the White House Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator. As Congress recognized when it created this position in 2008 with strong bipartisan support, American consumers, workers and job creators, benefit from this critical effort to protect our creative and innovative industries.‎"




more from across site and SHARED ros bottom lb

More from across our site

The office, which has a relatively new patent litigation team as well as a wider ‘soft’ IP offering, would remain independent if the rejection is rubberstamped
The IP boutique is betting that growing investment in quantum and semiconductors will fuel demand as technology shifts toward physical systems
Lawyers say the overhaul better reflects commercial reality, with changes spanning novelty searches, digital designs and access to a small claims track, but stopping short of criminalising unregistered design infringement
Carpmaels & Ransford hires its fourth partner of the year and wins access to UPC files, as fresh orders address costs, confidentiality and the use of divisional patents
Peter Ling of Lenz & Staehelin in Zurich discusses trends in patent litigation, the regulation of AI and the benefits of teaching IP
Brandsmiths and Powell Gilbert will contest claims over several UK trademarks in a High Court case examining the ownership and revival of a heritage brand
Hogan Lovells Cadwalader is taking a fresh strategic approach to pricing in its AI strategy. It could amplify calls for law firms to ditch the billable hour
Charles Harding plans to build a new team around life sciences oppositions and contentious work, drawing on his three decades developing a practice from scratch at D Young & Co
The firm reveals how its litigation strategies informed the arguments that took Masimo’s judgment past $818 million
The firm was rebuilding its IP practice through a string of patent hires and a Texas expansion, but its dissolution has put the newly built talent back into the market
Gift this article