The eBook Study Group has convened a wide-ranging group of copyright stakeholders to send a letter to Representative Bryan Steil, the Chair of the Congressional Joint Committee on the Library, protesting President Trump's dismissal of Shira Perlmutter as Register of Copyrights and Director of the United States Copyright Office, and requesting that he convene the committee to conduct necessary discovery and oversight. The text of the May 13, 2025, letter is provided below.
Congressman Bryan Steil
Chair, Joint Committee on the Library
1526 Longworth HOB
Washington, DC 20515
May 13, 2025
Congressman Steil,
We, the undersigned organizations and individuals representing a broad range of sectors, including libraries, copyright, publishing, law, museums, and academia, express our deep concern over the dismissal of Shira Perlmutter as the Register of Copyrights and Director of the United States Copyright Office by President Trump.
Creators, publishers, libraries, patrons, and researchers benefit from a copyright system that is impartial, deliberative, and governed by law rather than politicized by unilateral executive action. The U.S. Constitution charges Congress with the responsibility “to promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts” by granting limited rights to creators, rights designed to advance knowledge, creativity, and the public good.
President Trump’s abrupt dismissal of the Register, preceded by his termination of the Librarian of Congress, represents a serious and unprecedented intrusion by the Executive Branch into the Legislative Branch’s domain and authority. The Copyright Office is housed within the Library of Congress, and the Register serves under the Librarian of Congress. The Library is an institution deliberately situated in our federal legislative branch to ensure that copyright law remains accountable to the public interest, as mediated through elected Congressional representatives.
This is not just a staffing change; it is a constitutional disruption. Such interference threatens the independence and credibility of the Copyright Office and sets a dangerous precedent that endangers the integrity of the entire copyright system, upon which creators, publishers, libraries, researchers, the government itself, and the public all depend.
A balanced constitutional copyright system supports our economy, scientific discovery, the rights of creators, and the public's ability to access knowledge through libraries. We must defend the legal framework that makes American copyright credible while opposing actions that undermine the independence of the institutions entrusted with its stewardship.
We call on you, as Chair of the Joint Committee on the Library of Congress, established in 1806 and the oldest continuing joint committee of Congress, to immediately convene a hearing to examine the circumstances surrounding the dismissal of both Dr. Carla Hayden, the Librarian of Congress, and Shira Perlmutter, the Register of Copyrights. We urge the chair and ranking members of the Congressional committees with jurisdiction over copyright and intellectual property to pay close attention and act in defense of congressional prerogatives and the public interest.
Signed,
Organizations:
Art Libraries Society of North America (ARLIS/NA)
Association of Midwest Museums
Authors Alliance
Boston Public Library
Creative Commons
C/W MARS, Inc.
eBook Study Group
EveryLibrary Institute
Library Futures
Open Copyright Education Advisory Network (OCEAN)
Public Knowledge
University Information Policy Officers (UIPO)
Individuals:
- Kathryn Lage, Aptos, CA
- Victoria Pilato, Stony Brook, NY
- Chloe Van Stralendorff, Portland, OR
- Caleah James, Portland, OR
- Lindsay Tebeck, Walla Walla, WA
- Jewel Clark, Tempe, AZ
- Ian King, Longview, WA
- Hannah Lee, Los Angeles, CA
- Catherine Dinh, Mesa, AZ
- Cara Elston, Spokane, WA
- Pam Kruger, Chico, CA
- Kate Emery, Seattle, WA
- Carly Lamphere, Portland, OR
- Christopher Schipper, Tucson, AZ
- Jessica Ugstad, Tucson, AZ
- Janet Calderon, Portland, OR
- Ann Matsushima Chiu, Portland, OR
- Rebecca Chapman, Buffalo, NY
- Jennifer Rochelle, Tucson, AZ
- Sarah Stohr, Phoenix, AZ
- David Cox, Juneau, AK
- Chelsea Riddle, Ellensburg, WA
- Jessica Salow, Gilbert, AZ
- Irene E. Taylor, Portland, OR
- Lauren Gottlieb-Miller, Houston, TX
- Danielle Dilger, San Luis Obispo, CA
- Meagan Button, Camas, WA
- Jayne Henn, Pahoa, HI
- Ellen Dubinsky, Tucson, AZ
- Sam Meier, Flagstaff, AZ
- Karen Wagner, CA
- Jill Hurst-Wahl, Syracuse, NY
- Jennifer Keyser, Portland, OR
- Jamie Katzeek, Klukwan, Alaska
- Wendolyn Vermeer, La Verne, CA
- Elaine Plourde, Philadelphia, PA
- Tyler Duncan, Portland, OR
- Carole Correa-Morris, San Jose, CA
- James Heyl, MCC LIBRARY, Rochester, NY
- Nick Patterson, New York, NY
- Lorelei Sterling, Anchorage, AK
- Sara Mautino, Jennings, OK
- Jill Cirasella, Brooklyn, NY
- Robert Sage, La Habra, CA
- Amanda Grombly, Bakersfield, CA
- Julie Shen, Walnut, CA
- Rachel Resnik, MA
- Jan Kuebel-Hernandez, Yakima, WA
- Joy Sage, CA
- Stephanie Fletcher, Chicago, IL
- Amy Stark, Bloomington, IN
- Nicholas M. Redler, Newton, MA
- Melissa Molek, Portland, OR
- Lisa Mix, Monrovia, CA
- Genesis Ramirez, Bakersfield, CA
- Morgan Gwynn, Portland, OR
- Bianca Baldonado, Bakersfield, CA
- Andrea Guidara, San Francisco, CA
- Caitlin Wilhelm, Los Angeles, CA
- Patrick Newell, Chico, CA
- Robby Grillo, Shoreline, WA
- Hallie Clawson, Los Angeles, CA
- Jackson Brenner-Smith, Corvallis, OR
- Casey Eisiminger- Lacey, WA
- Thomas Willingham - Kelso, WA
- Jeanette Mueller-Alexander - Phoenix, AZ
- Claire Murata - Lake Forest Park, WA
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