President Donald Trump has removed Shira Perlmutter from her role as head of the US Copyright Office, a move confirmed by CBS News and Politico.

Representative Joe Morelle criticized the decision, suggesting it was tied to Perlmutter’s resistance to allowing copyrighted materials to be used in AI model training.

Perlmutter was appointed in 2020 by Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden, who has also been dismissed recently, adding to concerns about political interference.

Trump acknowledged the firing on Truth Social, sparking debate over its possible link to broader copyright and AI policy issues.

The US Copyright Office recently published a report warning that large-scale commercial use of copyrighted data for AI training likely doesn’t qualify as fair use and may need new licensing systems.

🔗 Source: TechCrunch

🧠 Food for thought

1️⃣ This firing mirrors previous copyright leadership battles with significant political implications

Perlmutter’s termination echoes a controversial 2016 precedent when Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden removed Register of Copyrights Maria Pallante, which was described as “unprecedented in the history of the Copyright Office” by former Register Marybeth Peters 1.

This reflects an ongoing tension over who should control copyright policy, with multiple legislative attempts in recent years to make the Register a presidential appointee requiring Senate confirmation rather than a Librarian of Congress appointment 2.

The timing is particularly notable as it follows years of debate about whether the Copyright Office should remain under Library of Congress control or become more independent, with creative industries generally favoring greater independence 1.

This move will likely intensify calls to restructure the Copyright Office, as critics have long argued that housing it within the Library creates conflicts between the missions of promoting access to information and protecting intellectual property rights.

2️⃣ The firing comes at a pivotal moment in AI copyright policy development

Trump’s termination of Perlmutter occurred immediately after the Copyright Office released part three of a comprehensive report on AI and copyright, addressing the contentious issue of whether AI companies can claim “fair use” when training on copyrighted materials 3.

The Copyright Office has been working through over 10,000 public comments on AI and copyright issues, highlighting the significant stakeholder interest in these policy decisions 3.

This leadership change comes amidst more than two dozen ongoing lawsuits related to AI and copyright, including high-profile cases against companies like OpenAI that will shape the future landscape of intellectual property rights 4.