Authors revolt over Anthropic settlement claims — SkimNews
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- Anthropic settled a copyright class action for $1.5 billion with final approval in July, paying $3,000 per pirated work across roughly 500,000 titles
- Settlement terms split in-print payments 50-50 between author and publisher, but authors get 100% if self-published or if rights reverted before August 10, 2022, the "download date" in the agreement
- Authors report publishers claiming works where rights have long since reverted and seeking the full 100% rather than the entitled 50% — mystery writer April Henry publicly called out HarperCollins for claiming a book that reverted at least 17 years ago
- Victoria Strauss at the Writers Beware blog said the volume and uniformity of identical complaints points to something "widespread and systemic," not the routine glitches of a large operation
- Literary agencies are also reportedly seeking cuts, which Strauss called "surprising since agents are not rightsholders in the books that they sell"; author Courtney Milan publicly objected to the practice
- Authors Guild CEO Mary Rasenberger attributed the disputes to "bad record-keeping and a confusing settlement process" rather than deliberate efforts to shortchange authors
Why it matters: With nearly 500,000 authors owed roughly $3,000 per pirated work, the dispute over payment allocations could leave creators — especially those whose rights reverted before August 2022 and were supposed to receive the full payout — with less than the settlement promised, while publishers and agents who hold no ownership stake reportedly try to claim a slice.
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