Authors Clash Over Anthropic Settlement Payouts
According to TechCrunch, authors awaiting payouts from Anthropic’s copyright settlement are raising concerns after receiving notices that publishers and literary agencies are making claims on their funds. Under the terms of the settlement, authors of nearly 500,000 titles are slated to receive $3,000 per pirated work. In-print books traditionally split the payment evenly between author and publisher, while self-published or out-of-print works should award the entire payment to the author.
However, writers have reported instances of publishers claiming 100 percent of payments for reverted titles, or demanding shares for books where rights lapsed years ago. Victoria Strauss of the Writers Beware blog noted that complaints point to widespread and systemic administrative errors rather than routine glitches. Authors Guild CEO Mary Rasenberger attributed the disputes to confusing processes and poor record-keeping rather than malicious intent. In addition to publishers, several literary agencies are reportedly attempting to claim percentages of the settlement, drawing sharp criticism from authors who maintain that agents hold no rights to the books they sell. The Authors Guild has provided resources to help builders and creators dispute incorrect payment allocations.
Based on reporting by techcrunch.com.
