Trump appointees denied entry to US Copyright Office

The Trump administration’s abrupt firing of Copyright Office leadership coincides with a controversial new report on AI training and copyrighted materials, creating tension between tech interests and copyright protections. The situation escalated dramatically when two men claiming White House appointments attempted to enter the Copyright Office building but were prevented from gaining access.

The big picture: Two men identifying themselves as White House appointees attempted to enter the US Copyright Office in Washington, DC on Monday but were unsuccessful in gaining access to the building.

• The men presented documentation claiming they had been appointed to leadership roles within the office following the administration’s firing of Copyright Office Director Shira Perlmutter.
• They identified themselves as Brian Nieves, claiming to be the new deputy librarian, and Paul Perkins, who said he was the new acting director and registrar of the Copyright Office.

Key details: The attempted entry occurred just days after the Trump administration fired both the director of the Copyright Office and the Librarian of Congress.

• Director Shira Perlmutter was removed from her position on Saturday, one day after the agency released a report addressing AI training on copyrighted materials.
• The administration also fired Carla Hayden, the Librarian of Congress, who was the first woman and first Black person to hold the position.

Personnel connections: The men may have ties to the Department of Justice, though their appointment status remains unclear.

• Officials with the same names currently work in the Department of Justice—one as deputy chief of staff at the Office of the Deputy Attorney General and the other as an associate deputy attorney general.
• The document the men presented also claimed that Todd Blanche, who previously served as Trump’s personal defense lawyer, was now acting as Librarian of Congress.

Why this matters: The timing suggests potential political interference with copyright policy that could impact ongoing legal battles between content creators and AI companies.

• The Copyright Office’s recent report acknowledged that while fair use doctrine may shield some AI training on copyrighted works, it doesn’t necessarily protect all cases.
• The report specifically noted that “making commercial use of vast troves of copyrighted works to produce expressive content that competes with them in existing markets” goes beyond established fair use boundaries, especially when accomplished through illegal access.

Between the lines: The administration’s abrupt leadership changes at the Copyright Office come at a critical moment when dozens of lawsuits are challenging AI companies’ practices of training on copyrighted materials.

• The timing of Perlmutter’s dismissal—immediately following the release of a report that placed some limits on AI companies’ use of copyrighted materials—raises questions about the administration’s policy objectives regarding copyright protections.