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1 week ago
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In a move that has sparked outrage among Democrats, the
Donald Trump administration
has abruptly terminated
Shira Perlmutter
, the head of the US Copyright Office. Perlmutter's firing comes just days after the dismissal of the Librarian of Congress,
Carla Hayden
. The
US Copyright Office
handles approximately half a million copyright applications annually, covering millions of creative works. Hayden was the first woman and African American to hold the Librarian of Congress position. The quick dismissals have fueled concerns about a broader purge of government officials. Hayden had appointed Perlmutter to lead the Copyright Office in October 2020. Perlmutter, a law graduate, is said to have a distinguished career in intellectual property, including previous roles as a policy director at the Patent and Trademark Office and prior service at the Copyright Office in the late 1990s.
White House's 'firing email' to Perlmutter
According to a statement released by the Copyright Office, Perlmutter received an email from the White House informing her that her position has been terminated. White House's email to Perlmutter had the notification that read: “Your position as the Register of Copyrights and Director at the U.S. Copyright Office is terminated effective immediately.”
Perlmutter’s dismissal reportedly comes at a critical juncture. According to a report in news agency AP, her office recently released a report addressing the complex issue of artificial intelligence and copyright. The report examined whether AI companies should be permitted to use copyrighted materials to train their AI systems and subsequently compete with the original, human-created works. This report was the culmination of a study initiated by Perlmutter in 2023, which involved gathering input from thousands of stakeholders, including AI developers, actors, and musicians. In January, her office clarified its stance, emphasizing the “centrality of human creativity” in works eligible for copyright protection. “Where that creativity is expressed through the use of AI systems, it continues to enjoy protection,” Perlmutter stated in January as per the AP report. “Extending protection to material whose expressive elements are determined by a machine ... would undermine rather than further the constitutional goals of copyright,” it added.
Elon Musk's support for Square founder's call to delete all IP laws
The burgeoning field of artificial intelligence is facing a wave of copyright infringement lawsuits, with companies like OpenAI at the center of the legal storm. OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, has responded by urging the U.S. government to establish a clear copyright framework that would grant AI developers broader "fair use" rights. This move reflects the industry's growing concern over the legal uncertainties surrounding the use of copyrighted material in AI training. Simultaneously, the debate has taken a dramatic turn with Elon Musk, a co-founder of both OpenAI and its competitor, xAI, publicly endorsing a radical proposition. Musk aligned himself with Square founder Jack Dorsey's call to "delete all IP law," advocating for the complete elimination of intellectual property protections.
Democrats slam firing
Democrats have strongly condemned the move. Rep. Joe Morelle of New York, the ranking Democrat on the House Administration Committee, described Trump’s action as “a brazen, unprecedented power grab with no legal basis.”
