Copyright Society President Theodore Cheng Gives Incoming Remarks at the 50th Annual Meeting

June 15, 2026—Louisville, KY

I want to take this opportunity to share a few words with you about my upcoming administration. I promise not to take long because I know you all have exciting activities planned for this afternoon.

I’ll start with a big thank you to the Society members for your faith and confidence in me in taking over the leadership of this organization. I have been a member for nearly 20 years, and I unequivocally love this organization. I feel honored and privileged to be stepping into this role.

And for that, I have to also thank Dan Cooper. While I may have previously served in other leadership roles, including Secretary and Treasurer, being the Vice President and supporting Dan these past two years has truly been one of the highlights of my experiences with the Society. I have learned so much from him, and I took great pleasure in supporting the ideas and initiatives that he put forward.

Let’s not forget that our first foray into expanding the brand internationally by hosting a conference overseas in Berlin – while successful – could have been a one-hit wonder had it not been for Dan’s leadership in carefully and methodically propelling us forward to our second international conference in Dublin last year. And it was in response to wanting to expand membership in the Society that Dan proposed reducing our annual dues for academics and government practitioners. It was also Dan who spearheaded wrapping into our annual dues the valuable webinar programs that we have all come to love to increase the value proposition for our members.

I could go on and on, listing the many other accomplishments that have occurred under Dan’s administration these past two years. But suffice it to say that the Society is much the better for having had Dan lead us these past two years. And, for that, on behalf of the Executive Committee, the Board of Trustees, and the staff, I am honored and proud to present you, Dan, with your very own Louisville Slugger bat, complete with not only an engraving of the Society’s name and logo, but an inscription that reads “A Grand Slam Presidency, Dan Cooper, 2024-2026.”

I also want to take this opportunity to thank the officers with whom I served these past two years. You’ve been a great team! In particular, I’m absolutely thrilled that I will get to work again with Eleanor Lackman – not just because she was a fabulous Treasurer, but because we worked so well together as New York Chapter Chairs nearly 10 years ago.
On that score, let me congratulate again all the newly elected Officers and Trustees. I look forward to working with you all, as well as the other continuing Trustees, in carrying on the traditions espoused by Dan and the other Past Presidents, many of whom I’ve also had the pleasure of working with.

In that vein, I take seriously and hold dear our mission to foster interest in, advance the study and understanding of, and celebrate copyright law in all types of works and in all kinds of industries across the spectrum, both traditional and new media. And copyright is global, and we will continue to ensure that we are expanding our brand internationally and paying attention to copyright as an international discipline. I am committed to ensuring that the Society is a place where we are open to hearing from all kinds of perspectives. A place where constituents from all parts of the copyright arena have an opportunity to participate in discussions about the state of copyright law and the copyright industries. And a place where we value all kinds of views and strive, as much as possible, to maintain some semblance of balance in presenting disparate views.

In that regard, it is my firm belief that representation and inclusion matter. Representation – on whatever metric we can imagine, be it race, gender, industry or academic background, geography – it matters to who we are at our core as an organization.
On that front, I also want to share that being President of the Society is very personal to me. In the nearly 75-year history of the Society, as far as I am aware, I am the first person of color to take on this role. Some might wonder why it has taken so long for that to happen. I see it as the natural evolution of our organization to be open and inclusive, and to afford opportunities to anyone who comes knocking at our doors.

Moreover, as far as I know, I am also the first non-copyright practitioner to serve in this office. For over 20 years, I was a commercial and intellectual property litigator, and I first met many of you while litigating on behalf of songwriters and music publishers in cases like Napster and Grokster. But, as many of you know, I left the practice of law nearly 10 years ago, and I’m now a full time arbitrator and mediator, although some of my matters do still touch upon copyright issues.
So representation matters a lot to me and it will continue to be a principal priority for me going forward. To that end, I invite you to come grab your breakfast tomorrow morning at Walker’s Exchange like you did this morning and join me at the Incoming President’s Corner in the adjoining Fountain Room to chat more about what this means for the Society and how we can continue to make it a welcoming organization for everyone.

Last but not least, I just want to say thank you to my wife, Michelle – who couldn’t be here – and my two daughters, Chloé and Esmé, who are sitting in the audience today. I could not do any of this without their unwavering love, encouragement, and support.
So, in short, I am very much looking forward to the next two years as your new President. I not only step into office today at our 50th Annual Meeting, but I will be leaving it two years from now at our 75th anniversary as an organization. We have much to celebrate!

Thank you again for your time and support. Have a wonderful afternoon and enjoy the rest of the Annual Meeting!