Kevin Amer Appointed Acting General Counsel and Associate Register of Copyrights

NewsNet 901
June 28, 2021

Register of Copyrights Shira Perlmutter today announced that Kevin Amer will serve as Acting General Counsel and Associate Register of Copyrights at the United States Copyright Office, effective July 2, 2021. He will begin this role when current General Counsel Regan Smith leaves the Copyright Office for the private sector.

Smith leaves the Copyright Office after seven years of dedicated service. During her tenure, she led efforts to provide legislative assistance on and subsequently implement the Music Modernization Act, to address the COVID-19 pandemic through existing administrative avenues and the authorities granted by the CARES Act, and to provide counsel in significant copyright litigation matters, including before the Supreme Court. She also led the Office in updating the section 1201 rulemaking to make it more productive and efficient, as well as in advising Congress on potential statutory reforms.

“Regan’s skillful and dedicated leadership has enabled the Copyright Office to quickly and expertly take forward numerous important projects and responsibilities,” said Perlmutter. “She has helped the Office exceed expectations during an exceptionally busy and challenging time.” 

Amer joined the Copyright Office in 2013 as counsel in the Office of Policy and International Affairs, and served as senior counsel in that office from 2015 to 2019. He has served as deputy general counsel since May 2019. As deputy general counsel, Amer shared responsibility for managing the department and handled a diverse portfolio of litigation, regulatory, and policy matters, including the Office’s ongoing sovereign immunity study. He also co-led the Office’s study on section 1201 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and had key roles in Office studies on the making available right and orphan works.

“Kevin has a wealth of experience, including as deputy general counsel, that make him well suited to serve as Acting General Counsel,” stated Perlmutter. “He has been instrumental in the Office’s successes on diverse and complex legal and policy issues, and I am looking forward to working with him in this new role.”

Before joining the Copyright Office, Amer spent several years in private practice, focusing on appellate litigation. Previously, he served as a law clerk to the Hon. Charles R. Wilson of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. Amer earned his JD from Yale Law School and his AB in history and literature from Harvard University.