Trump fires top US copyright official Shira Perlmutter
President Donald Trump’s administration has made headlines once again with the firing of the top copyright official in the U.S., just days after terminating the Librarian of Congress. Shira Perlmutter, who was in charge of the U.S. Copyright Office under the Library of Congress, was abruptly dismissed from her position by the White House on Saturday.
The termination of Perlmutter comes on the heels of the firing of Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden, who was the first woman and first African American to hold the prestigious position. This move is seen as part of the administration’s ongoing purge of government officials who are perceived to be opposed to Trump and his agenda.
Perlmutter, who had been appointed by Hayden to lead the Copyright Office in October 2020, received an email from the White House’s Presidential Personnel Office informing her that her position as the Register of Copyrights and Director at the U.S. Copyright Office was terminated effective immediately. The email to Hayden followed a similar pattern, with the termination being conveyed via email as well.
The firing of Perlmutter is especially significant as her office recently released a report examining the use of copyrighted materials by artificial intelligence companies to train their AI systems. The report, which began in 2023 and included input from thousands of individuals, reaffirmed the Copyright Office’s commitment to protecting human creativity in authoring works that warrant copyright protections. Perlmutter emphasized the importance of maintaining the constitutional goals of copyright by not extending protections to material whose expressive elements are determined by machines.
Perlmutter, who holds a law degree and has a background in intellectual property, previously worked at the Copyright Office in the late 1990s. Her expertise in copyright and other areas of intellectual property made her a valuable asset to the office.
The White House’s decision to dismiss both Perlmutter and Hayden has sparked outrage among Democrats and critics of the administration, who view the move as a disgraceful attempt to silence dissenting voices within the government. The abrupt firings of these high-ranking officials have raised concerns about the future of copyright protection and intellectual property rights under the current administration.
As the dust settles on these controversial dismissals, the Copyright Office and the Library of Congress will need to navigate the challenges ahead with new leadership at the helm. The impact of these firings on the protection of creative works and the enforcement of copyright laws remains to be seen, but one thing is certain – the Trump administration’s actions have once again stirred up controversy and raised questions about the future of intellectual property rights in the U.S.
