⚖️ Trump fires Copyright Office director over AI dispute

In partnership with

Trump Fires U.S. Copyright Chief Amid AI Copyright Dispute

President Trump’s firing of Shira Perlmutter, the Register of Copyrights, has raised alarms across the legal and tech sectors. The dismissal came shortly after the release of a Copyright Office report warning that large-scale, commercial use of copyrighted material to train AI models likely exceeds fair use boundaries. Critics, including Representative Joe Morelle, allege that the firing was politically motivated and aimed at clearing the way for figures like Elon Musk—an outspoken AI advocate and Trump ally—to continue using copyrighted content without proper licensing.

Do More. Spend less on SaaS.

Launch, grow, and scale your company faster with Notion.

Thousands of startups rely on Notion to move quickly, stay aligned, and replace multiple tools. Whether you're building a wiki, managing projects, or writing documentation, Notion is your all-in-one workspace.

Get up to 6 months of the new Plus plan + unlimited AI, for free!

To redeem your Notion for Startups offer, simply visit the Notion for Startups page and apply.

Get the offer

Copyright Uncertainty Poses Risk for AI Startups

This upheaval injects fresh uncertainty into the already complex copyright landscape for startups working in generative AI. While some may interpret the move as a signal that enforcement will be lax in the short term, the broader legal risks are growing. The Copyright Office’s position underscores that building commercial AI products using unlicensed data could lead to infringement liability—especially when outputs compete with the original works. That’s a serious concern for startups training on media-rich datasets like books, code, and music.

Licensing and Compliance Will Define the Next Phase

Startups in the AI space should view this moment as a turning point. The Copyright Office has encouraged the development of licensing markets and even floated collective licensing as a possible remedy to market failures. Founders should begin planning for a future where training data is more regulated and where licensing deals—or partnerships with rights holders—become a competitive advantage. This week’s political drama may stall enforcement, but the long-term trend is clear: compliance is no longer optional.

In addition to our newsletter we offer 60+ free legal templates for companies in the UK, Canada and the US. These include employment contracts, investment agreements and more

Newsletter supported by:

Start learning AI in 2025

Keeping up with AI is hard – we get it!

That’s why over 1M professionals read Superhuman AI to stay ahead.

• Get daily AI news, tools, and tutorials

• Learn new AI skills you can use at work in 3 mins a day

• Become 10X more productive

Sign up and start mastering AI