Publishers Claim Shares of Anthropic Settlement Payments Authors Say Are Theirs
Authors expecting payments from Anthropic's $1.5 billion copyright settlement are discovering that publishers and agents are making claims on money they believe is entirely theirs. The settlement, which received final approval in July, pays $3,000 for each of nearly 500,000 pirated works, with a 50-50 split between author and publisher for in-print books from traditional publishers. Authors should receive the full payment for self-published works or titles where rights have reverted.
Writers are airing grievances on social media and complaint blogs. Mystery author April Henry says HarperCollins claimed a book whose rights reverted 17 years ago, while Writers Beware's Victoria Strauss reports complaints falling into two categories: publishers claiming payments on reverted works, and publishers seeking 100% of payments when entitled to only half. Strauss cautions that poor recordkeeping, rather than malice, plausibly explains many of the errors, and some publishers have already asked Anthropic to correct their claims.
Authors Guild CEO Mary Rasenberger echoes that view, telling The New York Times she does not believe publishers are deliberately trying to cheat authors, but that the problems stem from bad record-keeping and a confusing settlement process. Still, the volume of complaints arriving in a short window suggests the issue may be widespread, and authors are being urged to review their payment notices carefully and dispute any improper claims before deadlines pass.