caption predecessor successor birth_place office birth_date order term_start image article_title name alma_mater
official portrait of peters from u.s. copyright office barbara ringer -lrb- '' acting '' -rrb- maria a. pallante pawtucket , rhode island register of copyrights 12 june 1939 11th 7 august 1994 marybeth peters.jpg marybeth peters
 marybeth peters george rhode island college washington university law school -lrb- j.d. -rrb- ,
marybeth peters

marybeth peters -lrb- born june 12 , 1939 in pawtucket , rhode island -rrb- served as the 11th united states register of copyrights from august 7 , 1994 to december 31 , 2010 .
prior to serving as register , peters held the positions of policy planning adviser to the register , acting general counsel of the copyright office and as chief of both the examining division and the information and reference divisions .
in addition to over 40 years of service to the copyright office , peters served as a consultant on copyright law to the world intellectual property organization in geneva , switzerland -lrb- 1989 -- 1990 -rrb- .
she obtained her b.s. degree from rhode island college in 1961 and her j.d. , with honors , from the george washington university law school in 1971 .
peters retired on december 31 , 2010 .
she was succeeded by maria pallante , previously senior adviser to the librarian of congress .
