Register of Copyrights


The register of copyrights is the director of the United States Copyright Office within the Library of Congress, as provided by. The office has been headed by a register since 1897. The register is appointed by, and responsible to, the librarian of Congress, with the register's office located in the library's James Madison Memorial Building.
Although the title suggests a clerical role, registers of copyrights have been responsible for creating the procedures and practices of the Copyright Office and establishing standards for registration of copyright. They have increasingly been responsible for setting or influencing United States copyright policy. Today, the register is responsible for administering rulemaking procedures and producing authoritative interpretations of some aspects of U.S. copyright law, as well as advising the librarian of Congress on the triennial proceeding on exceptions to the anticircumvention rules of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. The register also routinely testifies before Congress on copyright policy matters.
the position is vacant. It was recently held by Shira Perlmutter, who took office October 25, 2020. Perlmutter has filed a lawsuit against unauthorized firing by the president because the chain of command for the position rests only with the librarian of Congress. Although the Senate never voted to make a change regarding this, in April 2017, the House of Representatives had voted to propose changing the register of ropyrights to a position that is filled by presidential appointment with Senate confirmation. That never was voted upon by the Senate, so the existing policy remains as has been in place since the establishment of the Copyright Office.
On September 10, 2025, a divided three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled that Perlmutter is entitled to continue to serve as the register of copyrights at the Library of Congress, despite the White House's claim that Trump had fired her, "because Perlmutter leads an agency that is housed in the legislative branch and her primary role is to advise Congress."

List of registers of copyrights

The following persons have served as the register of copyrights:
No.ImageRegistersStart of termEnd of termLength of term
1 days
Acting days
2 days
3 days
Acting days
4 days
Acting days
5 days
Acting days
6 days-
7 days
Acting days
8 days
9 days
Acting days
10 days
Acting days
11 days
Acting days
12 days
Acting days
13 days
Acting days
14 days

Table notes: