John G Malcolm, a former Department of Justice deputy assistantAttorney-General, has been named senior vice president and director ofworldwide anti-piracy operations at the Motion Picture Association of America(MPAA).

Malcom's tenure begins on Apr 5 and he succeeds Ken Jacobsen, whowill retire at the end of the month.

Malcolm oversaw the Dept of Justice's computer crime andintellectual property division, which should stand him in good stead for thetask ahead.

Prior to joining the government he was a partner at Malcolm &Schroeder and before that served as assistant US attorney in the NorthernDistrict of Georgia.

"John Malcolm is widely respected in law enforcement for hisexpertise in fighting intellectual property crime," MPPA chairman and chiefexecutive officer Jack Valenti said in a statement.

"His insights into digital piracy and experience with prosecutingcopyright offenders are second to none. Digital piracy is a growing threat toour industry and there is none more qualified to lead our worldwide anti-piracyoperations than John Malcolm."

Valenti also bidfarewell to Ken Jacobsen, adding: "The Association is grateful to Ken Jacobsenfor his tireless work in leading and shaping our anti-piracy operationsefforts. He has been a loyal and trusted colleague, and we will miss him. Wewish him all the best in his retirement."