President Donald Trump has dismissed Shira Perlmutter, the nation’s top copyright official.
Perlmutter, a lawyer with extensive experience in intellectual property, previously served as director at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and has worked in various copyright roles since the late 1990s. Her tenure at the Copyright Office was marked by efforts to modernize copyright registration and address emerging issues in digital media and technology
The timing of Perlmutter’s dismissal has drawn scrutiny, coming just after her office released a high-profile report examining whether artificial intelligence companies can use copyrighted works to train their systems. The report, part of a multi-year study, raised significant questions about the impact of unlicensed AI training on creators and emphasized the importance of human creativity in works eligible for copyright protection.
The Copyright Office’s analysis cautioned against blanket exemptions for AI training under copyright law and highlighted the potential economic harm to creators if their works are used without permission. The report’s nuanced stance-acknowledging both the complexity of the issue and the risks to copyright holders-appeared to cross a political red line for the administration, according to legal experts.
“Donald Trump’s termination of Register of Copyrights, Shira Perlmutter, is a brazen, unprecedented power grab with no legal basis,” said Rep. Joe Morelle of New York, the top Democrat on the House Administration Committee.
“It’s no coincidence [Trump] acted less than a day after [Perlmutter] refused to rubber-stamp Elon Musk’s efforts to mine troves of copyrighted works to train AI models.”
The U.S. Copyright Office, which processes around half a million copyright applications annually, is central to the administration of intellectual property rights in the United States.
Legal experts and industry observers warn that the dismissals may signal a shift in federal policy toward prioritizing rapid AI development over the rights of creators. The firings also raise questions about the independence of agencies traditionally overseen by Congress, rather than the executive branch.
