MUMBAI: President Barack Obama has named Victoria Espinel as the new U.S. intellectual property enforcement coordinator. Espinel, in her position, will target, among other areas, the rampant piracy that has plagued the entertainment industry.

The position created in 2008 will augment American efforts to prevent the exploitation of pirated or counterfeited movies, music and software, as well as other intellectual properties.

Espinel is the founder and president of Bridging the Innovation Divide, a not-for-profit focused on the innovation divide. From 2007-09, Espinel was a visiting assistant professor at the George Mason University School of Law, focusing on IP and international trade issues. She has further served as an adviser on IP issues to the staff of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senate Finance Committee, House Judiciary Committee and House Ways and Means Committee.

In 2005, Espinel also became the first-ever Assistant United States Trade Representative for Intellectual Property and Innovation at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, serving as chief U.S. trade negotiator on those subjects.