The register of copyrights is the director of the United States Copyright Office within the Library of Congress, as provided by 17 U.S.C. . 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.

As of May 2025,[update] 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 (who is authorized to appoint the registrar to a maximum term of ten years). 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 copyrights 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 termRefs
1Thorvald SolbergJuly 1, 1897April 21, 193011,961 days
ActingWilliam Lincoln BrownApril 22, 1930June 4, 19341,505 days
2June 4, 1934July 1, 1936759 days
3Clement Lincoln BouvéAugust 1, 1936December 31, 19432,699 days
ActingRichard Crosby De WolfJanuary 1, 1944February 1, 1945398 days
4Sam Bass WarnerFebruary 1, 1945May 28, 19512,308 days
ActingArthur FisherMay 28, 1951September 12, 1951108 days
5September 12, 1951November 12, 19603,350 days
ActingAbraham L. KaminsteinNovember 13, 1960December 23, 196041 days
6December 24, 1960August 31, 19713,903 days
7George D. CarySeptember 1, 1971March 9, 1973556 days
ActingAbe GoldmanMarch 10, 1973November 19, 1973255 days
8Barbara RingerNovember 19, 1973May 30, 19802,385 days
9David LaddJune 2, 1980January 2, 19851,676 days
ActingDonald CurranJanuary 3, 1985September 10, 1985251 days
10Ralph OmanSeptember 23, 1985January 8, 19943,031 days
ActingBarbara RingerNovember 27, 1993August 6, 1994253 days
11Marybeth PetersAugust 7, 1994December 31, 20105,991 days
ActingMaria PallanteJanuary 1, 2011May 31, 2011151 days
12June 1, 2011October 21, 20161,970 days
ActingKaryn TempleOctober 21, 2016March 26, 2019887 days
13March 27, 2019January 4, 2020284 days
ActingMaria StrongJanuary 5, 2020October 24, 2020294 days
14Shira PerlmutterOctober 25, 2020May 10, 20251,807 days

Table notes:

Sources

  • . United States Copyright Office.
  • . United States Copyright Office.
  • United States Code. 17 U.S.C. .