Authors expecting payments from Anthropic’s $1.5 billion copyright settlement have recently reported unexpected claims on their shares by publishers and literary agents. The settlement, approved last July, compensates authors of nearly 500,000 pirated titles with $3,000 per book. Payments are split evenly between authors and publishers if the work remains in print, but authors should receive the full amount if books are out of print or rights have reverted. Despite this, many authors have found publishers claiming more than their entitled portions, including on books whose rights reverted years ago.

Concerns raised by authors and highlighted by the Writers Beware blog suggest that some publishers are making erroneous claims either for works they no longer control or for full payments rather than the 50% they are owed. Victoria Strauss, who runs the blog, believes many of these errors stem from poor recordkeeping rather than intentional wrongdoing, a view somewhat supported by Authors Guild CEO Mary Rasenberger. However, Strauss warns that the volume and consistency of complaints indicate a systemic rather than isolated problem.

In addition to publishers, several literary agents have also been making payment claims, provoking further backlash from authors who argue that agents are not rightful stakeholders in the books' copyrights. Author Courtney Milan expressed strong opposition to agents’ attempts to claim settlement shares, a sentiment echoed by the Authors Guild, which has provided guidance on disputing these claims. A key complexity arises from the need to prove when rights reverted, as only reversions before August 10, 2022, grant authors full claims.

The Anthropic settlement dispute illustrates broader tensions in managing AI-related copyright remediation, especially as massive sums are distributed to a wide array of stakeholders. It highlights challenges with rights management in legacy publishing contracts and raises questions about the roles of intermediaries like agents in such settlements. Authors are actively pushing back to ensure fair compensation under the settlement's terms as the process of allocating payments unfolds.