Trump administration reportedly fires the head of the US Copyright Office as it tries to tackle AI's use of copyrighted materials

Published: Monday, May 12, 2025 at 11:56 am

Trump Administration Fires Copyright Chief Amidst AI Copyright Battle

The Trump administration has reportedly fired Shira Perlmutter, the head of the US Copyright Office, via email. This move, reported by The Washington Post and TechCrunch, comes amidst growing legal battles surrounding the use of copyrighted materials in training artificial intelligence (AI) models.

Democratic Representative Joe Morelle condemned the firing, calling it an "unprecedented power grab" and suggesting it was linked to Perlmutter's alleged refusal to approve Elon Musk's efforts to use copyrighted works for AI training. Morelle praised Perlmutter's modernization of the Copyright Office and her work setting global standards on AI and intellectual property.

The firing coincides with a US Copyright Office report (linked by Morelle) that highlights limitations on AI companies' ability to claim "fair use" when training models on copyrighted content. This is particularly relevant as companies like OpenAI (co-founded by Musk) and Meta face lawsuits alleging copyright infringement. These lawsuits, including one involving comedian Sarah Silverman, claim AI models were trained on pirated versions of copyrighted works without permission. Meta argues this falls under fair use, a legal doctrine that allows limited use of copyrighted material without permission.

Musk, who co-founded OpenAI and owns the AI company xAI, has previously expressed support for abolishing intellectual property laws. His company's Grok AI chatbot is integrated within X, and he owns a supercomputer designed to train the chatbot.

This is not the only recent firing of a high-ranking official, as the Librarian of Congress, Carla Hayden, was also fired by email earlier this week. The situation suggests a significant shift in leadership within the US government. The central issue remains: how to balance the development of AI with the protection of intellectual property rights. The debate over fair use in the context of AI training is likely to continue for some time.

BNN's Perspective: The firing of Perlmutter, regardless of the administration's motivations, raises serious questions about the independence of the Copyright Office and the potential for political influence in intellectual property matters. While the legal complexities of AI and copyright are undeniable, the timing of this dismissal, coupled with Musk's stance on IP, suggests a concerning trend. A balanced approach is needed, one that fosters innovation while safeguarding the rights of creators.

Keywords:
Shira Perlmutter, US Copyright Office, Trump administration, fired, AI, artificial intelligence, copyright, intellectual property, Elon Musk, OpenAI, Meta, fair use, copyright infringement, Joe Morelle, Grok AI, xAI, lawsuits, Sarah Silverman, copyright law, intellectual property rights, training AI models, copyrighted content

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