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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesThe U.S. Copyright Office does have a listed leader: its current leadership page names Shira Perlmutter as Register of Copyrights and Director. Her position is contested, however. Courts have allowed her to remain in office while litigation over her attempted removal continues; the Supreme Court has not decided the underlying legal question.
Who leads the Copyright Office now?
As of October 8, 2026, the U.S. Copyright Office’s leadership page lists Shira Perlmutter as Register of Copyrights and Director. Her official biography says she was appointed in October 2020. The administration purported to remove her in May 2025, but an interim appellate order later blocked that removal while the case proceeded, and the Supreme Court left that interim arrangement in place.
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Erik Bertin is listed as Acting Associate Register and Director of Registration Policy and Practice, effective August 31, 2025. That is a separate role; it does not mean he is the Acting Register.
What has happened in court?
The case has moved through several different kinds of interim rulings. Those rulings affect who may serve while litigation proceeds; they do not, by themselves, finally resolve who has legal authority to remove the Register.
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| Date | Action | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| October 2020 | Perlmutter was appointed Register and Director, according to her U.S. Copyright Office biography. | She began the role she is listed as holding today. |
| May 2025 | The administration purported to remove Perlmutter, as described in court-related reporting and the litigation record. | The action prompted a dispute over removal authority and the Office’s institutional role. |
| July 30, 2025 | The district court denied Perlmutter’s request for preliminary relief. | This was an interim decision, not a final ruling on the merits. The court reasoned, among other things, that the Office could continue operating under temporary leadership while the case proceeded. |
| September 10, 2025 | A divided D.C. Circuit panel temporarily blocked the administration from removing her pending litigation, according to the Associated Press. | The order changed the interim posture while the case continued; the panel majority and dissent disagreed about the Register’s functions and branch relationship. |
| June 30, 2026 | The Supreme Court declined to disturb the interim appellate arrangement, according to Roll Call. | Perlmutter could continue serving while the challenge proceeded. The order expressly did not decide the merits. |
As of October 8, 2026, the Copyright Office’s current leadership page still lists Perlmutter as Register, and the cited reporting does not establish a final merits disposition.
Why is removal authority disputed?
The legal disagreement turns in part on how to characterize the Register’s functions and the Office’s place in government. The Register works under the general direction of the Librarian of Congress, carries out duties set by Title 17, and advises Congress on copyright matters. The D.C. Circuit majority and dissent viewed the relevant functions and the Register’s relationship to the branches differently.
| Position in the interim appellate ruling | Reasoning described in the Associated Press account |
|---|---|
| Panel majority | The majority treated interference with a legislative-branch official’s advice to Congress as a separation-of-powers concern. The Associated Press attributed to Judge Florence Pan’s opinion the analogy that removing the chief copyright adviser based on advice to Congress was like a president trying to fire a federal judge’s law clerk. |
| Dissent | The dissent emphasized that the Register exercises executive power. |
These were competing views in an interim appellate ruling, not a final resolution of the legal question. The Supreme Court’s June 2026 order left that question open. The reported record does not establish that a particular copyright or AI-policy opinion caused the attempted removal; claims about motive should be attributed to whoever makes them.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What does the Register do, and why does the leadership matter?
The Register directs the Copyright Office, which administers provisions of Title 17 and operates the federal copyright registration system. The Office also develops legal and policy analysis, supports Congress and government officials, provides public education and information, manages operations, and maintains copyright records. Its work is divided among six directorates in addition to the Register’s Office.
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For creators and other people dealing with copyright, the Office is a public-facing institution as well as a source of policy advice: it handles registration and provides information about copyright law and administration. The Office’s leadership page describes a staff of approximately 450; its separate biography of Perlmutter describes a workforce of nearly 500. Both are approximate descriptions from official pages, not a precise headcount.
The Copyright Office FY2025 annual report’s organization chart also named Perlmutter as Register, but that chart reflects the organization as of September 30, 2025. For current status, the live leadership page is the more recent listing.
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