A recent copyright settlement between Anthropic and authors of books trained on their AI has left many writers wondering if they’re eligible for compensation due to their publishers’ negligence.
Typically, it’s the publisher’s responsibility to register a book with the US Copyright Office. However, some authors have found that their publishers failed to do so, resulting in missed opportunities for financial gain.
Philosopher Sarah Paul of New York University Abu Dhabi discovered that her Routledge publisher had not registered her book, costing her around $3000 in potential compensation from the Anthropic settlement.
Paul is now calling on other authors to check if their publishers have neglected this step and are facing similar situations. She believes that collective action could be an option for those affected.
The issue affects authors published by various presses, including Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, Oxford University Press, and Continuum (now Bloomsbury). These publishers typically do not register copyrights in the US, leaving their authors with limited options.
When considering a book deal, authors should keep this potential issue in mind to avoid similar financial setbacks.
Source: https://dailynous.com/2025/12/02/copyright-publishers-and-your-anthropic-payout