Copyright Office director Shira Perlmutter, who was removed by the Trump administration in May, will have her job temporarily reinstated while her lawsuit over her firing moves forward. In July, a district court judge denied her request for a preliminary injunction to go back to her position. In a 2-1 decision, Judges Pan and Childs of the DC Circuit Court of Appeals called her case “unusual” and “extraordinary,” noting that “the President’s removal of Perlmutter was likely unlawful.” Perlmutter has argued that, as a legislative employee, the executive branch does not have the power to fire her. The filing continues, […]
Government
Copyright Office Director Denied Temporary Reinstatement As Lawsuit Continues
The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia has denied former copyright office director Shira Perlmutter’s request for a preliminary injunction that would have reinstated her to her position while her lawsuit over her firing continues. Perlmutter filed suit against the Trump administration, claiming that the president doesn’t have the authority to remove her position, since it’s part of the Legislative Branch. In May, Judge Timothy J. Kelly denied Perlmutter’s request for a temporary restraining order that would have blocked her firing. In his ruling on Wednesday, Kelly disagreed with Perlmutter that her removal would cause her “irreparable harm,” […]
Preliminary Injunction Finds Mass Cancellation of NEH Grants Violated Constitution, Administrative Procedures Act
Authors and organizations that lost their National Endowment for the Humanities grants won a symbolic victory in Federal Court on Friday. Consistent with rulings from all but about six of the most senior members of the Federal bench, in Authors Guild v. NEH SDNY Judge Colleen McMahon recognized that our government has multiple branches and found that the early April “Mass Cancellation of grants previously awarded” was likely in violation of the First Amendment and the Administrative Procedure, directly in opposition to what Congress had intended and authorized. Judge McMahon entered a preliminary injunction that will at least keep “any […]
Hawley and Blumenthal Introduce AI Protection Act, As Trump Wants to Give It All Away
The theft of human creation by large AI companies is so egregious that the Senate is doing something it usually avoids at all costs — introducing legislation to clarify the landscape and protect people from the machines. Senators Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) proposed the AI Accountability and Personal Data Protection Act earlier this week, “to protect consumers’ data rights and hold Big Tech companies accountable for illegally pirating creators’ copyrighted works to train their artificial intelligence (AI) models.” Among the Act’s protections are measures to “safeguard individuals’ copyrighted materials from being used in AI training or AI-generated content […]
Judge Denies Copyright Office Director’s Request to Block Her Firing
Judge Timothy J. Kelly denied former Copyright Office director Shira Perlmutter’s request for a temporary restraining order blocking the Trump Administration from firing her at a hearing on Wednesday. In a lawsuit filed last week, Perlmutter argued that the president does not have the authority to appoint or remove the director of the Copyright Office. Yesterday the judge ruled that Perlmutter did not show how her firing would cause her irreparable harm, the AP reports. If Perlmutter seeks a preliminary injunction, the judge set a deadline of this afternoon for the parties to propose case scheduling.
Former Copyright Office Director Sues Trump Administration Over Firing
Former Register of Copyrights and Director at the U.S. Copyright Office Shira Perlmutter filed a lawsuit against the acting librarian of congress and the Trump Administration after the White House fired her this month. Defendants in the suit include “Claimed Acting Librarian of Congress Todd Blanche, Claimed Acting Register of Copyrights Paul Perkins,” Director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office Sergio Gor, Deputy Director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office Trent Morse, and President Trump. Perlmutter argues that only the Librarian of Congress has the power to appoint or remove the register of copyrights–not the president. She also […]