"The DC Circuit's ruling grants Perlmutter an injunction, meaning she keeps her job while the case grinds on. The court said the Copyright Act makes clear that only the Librarian of Congress, not the president, can remove the register of copyrights, adding that Trump's effort to install two executive branch officials - US deputy attorney general Todd Blanche and associate deputy attorney general Paul Perkins in the roles of librarian of Congress and register of copyrights, respectively - was "likely unlawful"."
"For tech firms, this is more than just political theater. The Copyright Office's AI report - the one that allegedly triggered the firing - warned that commercial AI training that competes with original works may require permission or licensing, a position that could add major costs for model builders. If the office's leadership could be swapped out whenever its findings upset the White House, the already murky copyright rules around AI could become even harder to navigate."
"The battle started back in May, when Perlmutter released the report questioning whether tech firms can scrape creators' work without paying for it and still claim fair use. Less than 24 hours later, the Presidential Personnel Office said she was "terminated effective immediately." The White House then appointed an acting librarian of Congress, who in turn installed an acting register. Perlmutter sued, arguing her firing was unlawful."
A federal appeals court in the DC Circuit granted Shira Perlmutter an injunction, finding the president likely lacks authority to remove the Register of Copyrights. The court concluded the Copyright Act vests removal power in the Librarian of Congress, not the president, and described the White House's move to install Todd Blanche and Paul Perkins in librarian and register roles as likely unlawful. Perlmutter released an AI report questioning whether commercial AI training that uses creators' works can claim fair use without permission; the report warned such training that competes with original works may require licensing, raising costs for model builders. Perlmutter sued, asserting the termination was unlawful and jeopardized independent copyright advice amid rapid AI change.
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