Photo Credit: Shira Perlmutter & Emily L. Chapuis / U.S. Copyright Office

The AIMP Global Music Publishing Summit will feature a special fireside chat with Shira Perlmutter and Emily L. Chapuis of the U.S. Copyright Office.

The Association of Independent Music Publishers (AIMP) has announced a special fireside chat featuring Shira Perlmutter, Register of Copyrights and Director of the U.S. Copyright Office, alongside Emily L. Chapuis, General Counsel and Associate Register of Copyrights, as part of the 2026 AIMP Global Music Publishing Summit. The event takes place on Tuesday, June 9, at the McNally Amphitheatre at Fordham University at Lincoln Center in New York City.

Moderated by Art Levy, VP Business & Legal Affairs at Songtradr and Secretary of the AIMP New York Chapter, the conversation comes at a pivotal moment for the music publishing and copyright industries. Rapid technological change continues to reshape the way rights are managed, protected, and monetized. The session will offer attendees a timely opportunity to hear directly from leadership at the U.S. Copyright Office about the evolving legal and policy landscape surrounding music, technology, and copyright in the digital age.

Widely recognized as one of the leading voices in global copyright policy, Perlmutter has served as Register of Copyrights since 2020, advising Congress and executive branch agencies on copyright law while overseeing the administration of key provisions of the U.S. Copyright Act. Prior to her appointment, she held senior intellectual property and policy roles at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, IFPI, Time Warner, WIPO, and the U.S. Copyright Office itself.

Last year, she was fired by the Trump administration after her office issued a lengthy report that was critical of arguments that copyrighted material used to train artificial intelligence could be considered fair use under the U.S. Copyright Act. Perlmutter sued to dispute the legality of the dismissal, which resulted in a divided three-judge panel ruling in September that she was entitled to continue to serve in her role as register of copyrights.

Chapuis, who was appointed General Counsel and Associate Register of Copyrights in late 2025, oversees a wide range of regulatory, litigation, and policy matters for the Office. She has played a leading role in the Office’s artificial intelligence initiative, including the development of the Office’s multi-part report on Copyright and Artificial Intelligence, while also overseeing major litigation matters and the Copyright Claims Board.

Together Perlmutter and Chapuis will offer insight into the Copyright Office’s ongoing work and perspective at a time of significant change across the music, technology, and copyright sectors. They will also reflect on some of the broader questions and challenges currently shaping the future of rights management.

The fireside chat adds to an already expansive day of programming at the 2026 AIMP Global Music Publishing Summit. The event will also feature a keynote conversation with legendary songwriter and producer Glen Ballard, alongside panels exploring AI innovation, sync licensing, global publishing markets, legislation, and the evolving independent publishing ecosystem.

Held annually during one of the busiest weeks in the music business calendar—alongside A2IM Indie Week, the NMPA Annual Meeting, and the Songwriters Hall of Fame Awards—the Summit has become one of the premier annual gatherings for the independent music publishing community, bringing together publishers, songwriters, attorneys, rights organizations, technology leaders, and executives from across the global music business.

“We are so honored to have Shira Perlmutter and Emily Chapuis join us at the Summit,” said Melanie Santa Rosa, President of the AIMP New York Chapter. “The questions facing independent publishers around copyright, technology, and creator rights have never been more urgent. These are important conversations our community needs to be a part of, and having leadership from the U.S. Copyright Office in the room with us is incredibly meaningful. We can’t wait to see where the discussion goes.”