A broad coalition including popular brands such as Walt Disney Co. and NASCAR will descend on Capitol Hill on Wednesday for an annual intellectual-property event.

Executives from premium cable network HBO, publisher McGraw-Hill and Kaulkin Information Systems will hold a panel discussion on copyright issues at the all-day event, which is organized by the Copyright Alliance. It will be held in the Capitol Visitor Center and the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and committee member Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) are expected to appear at the coalition’s Fourth Annual EXPOnential on Capitol Hill.

The organization, which Senate records show has spent $110,000 on lobbying this year, also includes broadcast and telecommunications titans such as CBS Corp. and AT&T as well as Sony Pictures Entertainment, Time Warner, Universal Music Group and Viacom.

Diplomatic Relations

Chlopak, Leonard, Schechter & Associates has nabbed a prince of a hire: Jonathan Prince, most recently the deputy assistant secretary of State tasked with strategic communications and public diplomacy for Middle East peace, is joining the public affairs shop as a partner.

Before his gig in the Obama administration, Prince ran the independent expenditure arm of the Democratic National Committee. A stint in the Clinton White House, where he was a senior adviser, is also on his résumé. He managed communications strategy at NATO during the war in Kosovo and served as part of the strategic defense team during President Bill Clinton’s impeachment trial.

“The idea is for me to come in and help expand the business,” Prince said of his role at the firm. He joined the 50-employee shop, he said, because “I just really enjoyed the dynamic among all of the partners.”

He added that Chlopak’s crisis communications, international and public affairs practices lured him.

“The intersection of public policy and communications is my home professionally,” said Prince, who will not lobby. “There is a really diverse and strong array of talent at every level at the firm.”

K Street Moves

The Independent Petroleum Association of America has hired former Capitol Hill staffer Wendy Kirchoff as its director of federal resources and legislative affairs. Kirchoff previously worked for Rep. Dan Boren (D-Okla.), managing the Congressman’s duties as a member of the Blue Dog Coalition and as chairman of the Natural Gas Caucus.

Before joining Boren’s team, she was a legislative assistant to Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick (D-Mich.), advising on energy, natural resources, environmental and financial services issues. At IPAA, Kirchoff will counsel on federal land access and permitting, royalty and environmental issues. She has a bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University.

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