(c) 2025 , The Washington Post · Kyle Melnick, Hannah Natanson, NATIONAL, POLITICS · May 11, 2025 — The White House fired the head of the U.S. Copyright Office on Saturday, according to an email acting librarian of Congress Robert Newlen sent to his staff.
Shira Perlmutter, the register of copyrights and director of the Copyright Office, was terminated by email, Newlen said in his brief message to employees, according to a copy The Washington Post reviewed. The news came two days after President Donald Trump fired the Librarian of Congress, Carla Hayden, who appointed Perlmutter in October 2020.
Perlmutter declined to comment on her termination, which was confirmed by a spokesperson for the Copyright Office. The White House did not respond to requests for comment Sunday.
In the hours since the termination announcement, Library of Congress employees have shared fears that anyone could lose their job next, said an employee who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.
This month, Perlmutter’s office released a more than 100-page report on artificial intelligence that raised concerns about using copyrighted materials to train AI systems, which some employees suspected may have influenced Perlmutter’s termination.
“Several stages in the development of generative AI involve using copyrighted works in ways that implicate the owners’ exclusive rights,” the report said. “The key question, as most commenters agreed, is whether those acts of prima facie infringement can be excused as fair use.”
The report stopped short of urging government intervention for now.
Under the second Trump administration, Musk’s brainchild, the U.S. DOGE Service, which is charged with reducing federal spending and the workforce, has sought to use AI to fuel sweeping changes to government. DOGE is working to combine federal data into one database that could be searchable, including by AI tools, which might speed the process of identifying programs to cut, The Post reported.
Musk, who owns artificial intelligence firm xAI, wrote “I agree” last month in response to a post on X that said “delete all IP law,” referring to intellectual property. The Copyright Office reviews hundreds of thousands of applications annually, advises Congress on intellectual property issues and sets regulations.
Musk did not respond to a request for comment Sunday afternoon.
Rep. Joseph Morelle (New York), the top Democrat on the Committee on House Administration, said in a statement Saturday that it was “no coincidence” the register of copyrights position was terminated shortly after the office released its AI report. He called the White House’s decision “a brazen, unprecedented power grab with no legal basis.”
The American Federation of Musicians union said in a statement Sunday that Perlmutter’s firing will “harm the entire copyright community.”
“She understood what we all know to be true: human creativity and authorship are the foundation of copyright law,” the statement added.
On Thursday, Hayden, the first woman and first African American to lead the Library of Congress, learned in an email that Trump had fired her. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said at a news conference Friday that Hayden had pursued diversity, equity and inclusion programs and put “inappropriate books” for children in the library.
The Librarian of Congress, whom the president picks and the Senate confirms, doesn’t usually depart with the outgoing administration. The last time an incoming president replaced the Librarian of Congress was in 1861.
Newlen, the former principal deputy librarian, said in an email to staff Thursday that he would assume Hayden’s responsibilities until he received further instruction.
Two days later, after informing staff that Perlmutter’s position had been terminated, Newlen concluded his message: “I promise to keep everyone informed.”
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Kelly Kasulis Cho contributed to this report.
