A recent report on artificial intelligence and copyright law appears to be at the center of the latest White House personnel moves, with Shira Perlmutter becoming the second Library of Congress official removed by the Trump administration within three days.
According to a statement released Sunday, Perlmutter, who served as Register of Copyrights and Director of the US Copyright Office, received notification of her immediate termination via email on Saturday.
The dismissal follows President Donald Trump’s Thursday removal of Carla Hayden, who in 2020 had appointed Perlmutter to lead the Copyright Office. Hayden was the first woman and first African American to serve as Librarian of Congress.
Perlmutter’s office had recently published a detailed examination of whether AI companies’ use of copyrighted materials for training their systems constitutes legal infringement. The report questioned if such usage could be justified as fair use but stopped short of recommending government intervention.
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“Where creativity is expressed through AI systems, it continues to enjoy protection,” Perlmutter had said in January while explaining the office’s approach. “Extending protection to material whose expressive elements are determined by a machine would undermine constitutional goals of copyright.”
The Copyright Office reviews approximately half a million applications annually and advises Congress on intellectual property matters.
The American Federation of Musicians warned that Perlmutter’s removal would have widespread negative consequences for creators, while Rep. Joseph Morelle (D-N.Y.) characterized the firing as an illegitimate “power grab.”
Acting Librarian Robert Newlen has temporarily assumed oversight responsibilities while the administration has not announced replacements for either position.
The dual removals represent a historical anomaly. The Librarian of Congress position traditionally transcends presidential administrations, with the last incoming president to replace one being Abraham Lincoln in 1861.
White House officials defended Hayden’s dismissal, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt citing concerns about diversity initiatives and children’s book selections, but have not commented on Perlmutter’s termination.
Both Hayden and Perlmutter have commented on their terminations.
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