Trump Fires Top Copyright Official After AI Training Report
Trump's dismissal of copyright chief signals potential policy shift favoring AI development over creator rights.
President Trump has dismissed the top copyright official in the United States, Shira Perlmutter, Register of Copyrights and Director of the U.S. Copyright Office.
Why it matters:
The move comes days after the U.S. Copyright Office issued a pre-publication version of a report on copyright and artificial intelligence.
As per Music Business Worldwide (MBW), the report "seems to take a stance" that "training AI on copyrighted songs without licensing likely exceeds 'fair use' definitions in the United States".
According to Politico, less than 24 hours after the report was made available (Saturday May 10) the White House advised Perlmutter her role was "terminated".
Congressman Joe Morelle alleged it's "no coincidence [Trump] acted less than a day after [Perlmutter] refused to rubber-stamp Elon Musk's efforts to mine troves of copyrighted works to train AI models".
The implications:
According to MBW, Perlmutter's sacking comes in the wake of OpenAI openly lobbying Trump to weaken copyright protections.
There are concerns this latest move signals Trump's willingness to sacrifice creators' rights in favor of AI development.
President Trump has dismissed the top copyright official in the United States, Shira Perlmutter, Register of Copyrights and Director of the U.S. Copyright Office.
Why it matters:
The move comes days after the U.S. Copyright Office issued a pre-publication version of a report on copyright and artificial intelligence.
As per Music Business Worldwide (MBW), the report "seems to take a stance" that "training AI on copyrighted songs without licensing likely exceeds 'fair use' definitions in the United States".
According to Politico, less than 24 hours after the report was made available (Saturday May 10) the White House advised Perlmutter her role was "terminated".
Congressman Joe Morelle alleged it's "no coincidence [Trump] acted less than a day after [Perlmutter] refused to rubber-stamp Elon Musk's efforts to mine troves of copyrighted works to train AI models".
The implications:
According to MBW, Perlmutter's sacking comes in the wake of OpenAI openly lobbying Trump to weaken copyright protections.
There are concerns this latest move signals Trump's willingness to sacrifice creators' rights in favor of AI development.
President Trump has dismissed the top copyright official in the United States, Shira Perlmutter, Register of Copyrights and Director of the U.S. Copyright Office.
Why it matters:
The move comes days after the U.S. Copyright Office issued a pre-publication version of a report on copyright and artificial intelligence.
As per Music Business Worldwide (MBW), the report "seems to take a stance" that "training AI on copyrighted songs without licensing likely exceeds 'fair use' definitions in the United States".
According to Politico, less than 24 hours after the report was made available (Saturday May 10) the White House advised Perlmutter her role was "terminated".
Congressman Joe Morelle alleged it's "no coincidence [Trump] acted less than a day after [Perlmutter] refused to rubber-stamp Elon Musk's efforts to mine troves of copyrighted works to train AI models".
The implications:
According to MBW, Perlmutter's sacking comes in the wake of OpenAI openly lobbying Trump to weaken copyright protections.
There are concerns this latest move signals Trump's willingness to sacrifice creators' rights in favor of AI development.
👋 Disclosures & Transparency Block
This article was selected by the author based on their judgement that it would be interesting to readers.
📨 Subscribe to NIF
Get news dropped in your inbox 👇
📨 Subscribe to NIF
Get news dropped in your inbox 👇
Related Articles
Policy & Legal
Oct 23, 2025
1 min read
Lizzo Sued for Copyright Infringement
Documents were filed in California on Tuesday
Policy & Legal
Oct 22, 2025
1 min read
Slipknot Fights to Reclaim Slipknot.com from Alleged Cybersquatter
The third party has controlled the domain since 2001
Policy & Legal
Oct 22, 2025
1 min read
Ticket Fees in New York Have Surged by 36% Since 2016
The figure comes from a recent study by NITO
Lizzo Sued for Copyright Infringement
Documents were filed in California on Tuesday
Rod Yates
Policy
Oct 23, 2025
Slipknot Fights to Reclaim Slipknot.com from Alleged Cybersquatter
The third party has controlled the domain since 2001
Rod Yates
Policy
Oct 22, 2025
Ticket Fees in New York Have Surged by 36% Since 2016
The figure comes from a recent study by NITO
Rod Yates
Policy
Oct 22, 2025
Ticketmaster to Implement Major Operational Changes in Response to FTC Lawsuit
Two primary shifts include banning users from running multiple accounts and shutting down TradeDesk
Harry Levin
Policy
Oct 20, 2025
Ticketing Alliance FEAT Unveils Anti-Scalping Policy For Europe
The alliance met in Barcelona on Friday 17 October
Rod Yates
Policy
Oct 20, 2025
Temu Seeks to Dismiss Lawsuit Over Bootleg MF Doom Merch
Claims it isn’t responsible for independent sellers on its platform
Rod Yates
Policy
Oct 20, 2025
