What Happened?
Recently, Trump dismissed the director of the U.S. Copyright Office, and foreign media reported that this move was due to an AI-related report. The report delved into the legality and risks of using a substantial amount of copyrighted material when training generative AI models.
Furthermore, some lawmakers indicated that Trump likely dismissed the director because she refused to approve Musk’s request to use a large amount of copyrighted material for AI training.
This wave of personnel changes is seen by the public as a prelude to Trump purging dissenters; not only the director of the Copyright Office, but also the Librarian of Congress, Carla Hayden, was dismissed recently.
Trump Dismisses U.S. Copyright Office Director
President Trump recently fired Shira Perlmutter, the director of the U.S. Copyright Office, drawing public attention. Most believe the catalyst was a report related to AI and Trump’s ally Elon Musk’s AI development plans.
According to reports from foreign media such as CBS News and Politico, Perlmutter was dismissed by Trump less than 24 hours after releasing a policy report on AI and copyright. This report thoroughly examined the legality and risks of utilizing a large amount of copyrighted material when training generative AI models.
The report indicated that claims by AI developers to rely on the “fair use” doctrine for acquiring and training data may not stand up legally. While using copyrighted material may be permissible in academic research and analysis, if it is for commercial purposes and the generated content competes in the market with the original work, it may exceed the bounds of fair use.
The Copyright Office stated that it is “too early” for government intervention in legislation, but it hopes to develop a “licensing market” mechanism in the future, allowing AI companies to pay copyright holders for the rights to use their content legally. Furthermore, the report suggested considering alternative solutions such as “expanded collective licensing” if negotiations for licensing cannot proceed smoothly.
Musk Involved? Democrats Accuse Political Maneuvering
After Trump’s dismissal of Perlmutter, Democratic Congressman Joe Morelle issued a statement condemning the decision as “a blatant power grab that disregards legal grounds.”
Morelle stated that Trump firing the director less than a day after the report’s release was no coincidence. The director’s refusal to unconditionally approve Musk’s use of a large amount of copyrighted material for AI training may indeed be the real reason behind the dismissal.
Musk is not only an ally of Trump but also one of the founders of the AI company xAI, which recently merged with his social media platform X. Additionally, he is a co-founder of OpenAI, from which he later distanced himself, although he attempted to acquire OpenAI in February of this year, ultimately without success.
According to foreign media reports, Musk’s attitude toward intellectual property rights is quite ambiguous, having even expressed agreement on X to “abolish all intellectual property laws,” sparking controversial discussions.
In fact, Perlmutter was not the only one recently dismissed; Carla Hayden, the Librarian of Congress, was also fired by Trump last week. This wave of personnel changes is viewed by the public as a prelude to Trump clearing out dissenters and eliminating regulatory obstacles, particularly sensitive in the context of the burgeoning AI and technology development.
Foreign media noted that the impact of AI on the traditional copyright system is entering a heated phase. On one hand, tech companies assert that “fair use” is a necessary premise for technological development; on the other hand, creators and the academic community worry that their works are being extensively appropriated without authorization.
As AI gradually becomes mainstream, how to balance the rights of creators with technological innovation has become an unavoidable and borderless challenge.
Source: TechCrunch, CBS News