Authors are in an uproar as publishers and literary agents vie for a slice of Anthropic’s $1.5 billion copyright settlement. Under the terms, authors of nearly 500,000 titles will each receive $3,000 for pirated works, with publishers claiming 50% if the book is still in print. But reports suggest publishers are claiming more than their fair share, with some authors accusing them of poor record-keeping and malpractice.

Mystery author April Henry told social media that HarperCollins claimed a book that had reverted rights 17 years ago, while also listing as her employer – a claim she rejected. Authors Guild CEO Mary Rasenberger said the confusion was likely due to poor record-keeping rather than publishers’ attempts to exploit authors.

Authors are also facing claims from literary agents, who may not be entitled to a cut of the settlement. Victoria Strauss, founder of Writers Beware, said the issues were likely systemic, given the unusually high number of reports of the same errors.

Authors can dispute their payment allocations, but the process is complicated. To claim 100%, the rights reversion needs to have happened before August 10, 2022, the “download date” in the settlement. The situation highlights the confusion surrounding copyright and the complexity of modern publishing.