A day after the US Copyright Office dropped a bombshell pre-publication report challenging artificial intelligence firms’ argument that all AI training should be considered fair use, the Trump administration fired the head of the Copyright Office, Shira Perlmutter—sparking speculation that the controversial report hastened her removal.
Tensions have apparently only escalated since. Now, as industry advocates decry the report as overstepping the office’s authority, social media posts on Monday described an apparent standoff at the Copyright Office between Capitol Police and men rumored to be with Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
A source familiar with the matter told Wired that the men were actually “Brian Nieves, who claimed he was the new deputy librarian, and Paul Perkins, who said he was the new acting director of the Copyright Office, as well as acting Registrar,” but it remains “unclear whether the men accurately identified themselves.” A spokesperson for the Capitol Police told Wired that no one was escorted off the premises or denied entry to the office.