Authors push back as publishers and agents claim Anthropic settlement money

Authors expecting payouts from Anthropic’s copyright settlement are finding out that publishers and agents are claiming a slice of their money.

TechCrunch reports that writers are receiving surprise notices that legacy publishers and literary agencies are laying claim to their settlement allocations. Under the deal, Anthropic is paying $3,000 per pirated title across nearly 500,000 books. Traditional publishers get a 50-50 split for books currently in print, but authors report that publishers are claiming 100% shares or grabbing cash for out-of-print titles whose rights reverted years ago. Even literary agencies—which hold no copyrights—are reportedly trying to claim percentages. Industry observers and the Authors Guild attribute most of the issues to sloppy recordkeeping and a confusing system rather than direct malice, with some publishers already working to fix errors.

Why it matters: Thousands of dollars per title are at stake for individual creators. Authors are entitled to 100% of the payout if their book was self-published or if rights reverted before August 10, 2022, but administrative chaos means many will have to fight to get what they're owed.

Know this: If you have a title in the settlement, double-check your payment allocation emails immediately. Writer Courtney Milan and the Authors Guild have posted guides on how authors can file formal disputes to fix improper claims.

Getting AI companies to pay up was the hard part; making sure the money reaches the right bank account might be harder.