Some authors expecting payments from Anthropic's $1.5 billion copyright settlement say they have received emails informing them that publishers or agents are claiming part of their money.
Under the settlement, authors of nearly 500,000 titles are due $3,000 for each pirated work. For books still in print with a traditional publisher, the payment is split 50-50 between author and publisher. Self-published works or those whose rights have reverted should go entirely to the author.
Mystery writer April Henry questioned HarperCollins' claim on one of her books, saying the rights had reverted at least 17 years ago. The blog Writers Beware has collected complaints in two categories: publishers seeking payments for works they no longer hold rights to, and publishers claiming 100% when only 50% is due.
Authors Guild CEO Mary Rasenberger told The New York Times she does not see this as a deliberate grab, attributing it to poor record-keeping and a confusing process. Some publishers have said the claims were mistakes and asked Anthropic to fix them.
Literary agencies are also making claims, which author Courtney Milan criticised on Bluesky, noting agents are not rightsholders. Authors can dispute allocations, but a 100% claim requires rights reversion before August 10, 2022.