President Donald Trump fired Register of Copyrights Shira Perlmutter on Saturday, May 10, 2025. This action occurred a day after her office suggested AI developers might infringe copyright by using protected works to train their models.
Perlmutter's removal follows the ousting of Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden, who appointed Perlmutter in October 2020. The Copyright Office report stated that commercial use of copyrighted works to compete in existing markets exceeds fair use, especially when achieved through illegal access.
The report challenges the idea that ingesting entire libraries is like human learning, citing the rapid scale of AI systems. It suggests AI firms risk liability at all stages and urges Congress to explore licensing if voluntary deals fail. Trump amplified a post from Mike Davis, who criticized the firing as unacceptable and accused tech companies of stealing copyrights for AI profits. Democrats argue the dismissal endangers the non-partisan copyright system. Rep. Joe Morelle stated Trump's action was a power grab after Perlmutter didn't support Elon Musk's AI training efforts.