The article reports that authors who are entitled to receive payments from Anthropic’s $1.5 billion copyright settlement have been receiving unexpected emails indicating that publishers and agents are making claims on their payments. Under the settlement terms, authors of nearly 500,000 titles will receive $3,000 for each pirated work, with the payment split 50-50 between author and publisher if the book is in-print, or going entirely to the author if the book is self-published or rights have reverted. However, authors have taken to social media to express concerns that publishers are claiming more than their entitled share, particularly for works whose rights have long since reverted.

Writers Beware blog author Victoria Strauss highlights two main categories of complaints: publishers seeking payment for works they no longer hold rights to, and publishers demanding full 100% payment when they are only entitled to 50%. Strauss suggests these issues may stem from poor record-keeping rather than malice, noting that some publishers have acknowledged the mistakes and requested corrections from Anthropic. Additionally, the article reveals that literary agencies, despite not being rightsholders, are also making claims on the settlement payments, prompting strong backlash from authors like Courtney Milan. The Authors Guild CEO, Mary Rasenberger, echoes the sentiment that these problems are likely due to confusing settlement processes and inadequate record-keeping rather than intentional wrongdoing by publishers. Source

This is a summary. Read the original at techcrunch.com.