Today is the day authors are learning how many of their publishers straight up blew off registering copyright and I feel like that deserves a class action suit of its own if it costs everyone their settlement money from the Anthropic suit... 😒🤬
Tor just straight up didn't register the copyright for two of our books, even though they were contractually obligated to do so.
One day I will FULLY describe that shit show. But not today.
Don't tradpub contracts normally require the publishers to register copyrights as part of the boilerplate? I mean, legally speaking, WTF?
When I was publishing my first book through a small press, they straight up told me at the time they didn't register copyright for any of their books, but I could do it myself. So at least I knew going in, but jfc.
Wow. That's apalling.
Especially when you read the contract and it says something like "Publisher will file for copyright within 90 days of publication, but if they don't, it won't be considered a breach of this contract." 🙃🙃🙃
I want to think their lawyers would've protested. But who the heck knows. I hate this kind of plot twist. I read a lot--I need all you authors!!!
Can we register them now and still get paid?
Ohhhhhh most definitely. Any of the publishers who didn't fulfill their contractual obligation to register copyright need to do so immediately and pay triple the judgement Anthropic would have.
And get put on absolute BLAST so we don't use them.
Or they could. Voluntarily fix it. $$$$.
It's truly unfortunate to hear that so many publishers did not register copyright for their titles. We can definitely help!
May not be a class action since it'll be multiple different publishers. But it sure looks like there'd be grounds to sue the publisher for the amount the settlement would've recovered for them.
Fully support this. Even if they register it now, its too late for the suit.
Where do we look to find out?
Yup.
im sorry as i understood it registering a copyright is a formality to make any legal actions simpler, at least in the us; the creator of a creative work automatically owns the copyright at time of creation and need not take action
are they seriously arguing this in court?
Does the suit explicitly require a federally registered copyright? Because it’s not like patents or trademarks, you own a copyright in whatever you write as soon as you write it
Two of my books are missing. HarperCollins and Macmillan. I am simply beside myself!
Not pointing fingers. However, it bears to be said: now that it’s coming to light that publishers have not been acting in good faith, I hope more authors will take it upon themselves to always register their works. They shouldn’t sweep this fiduciary breach under a rug.
Holy crap
📌
Oh god, I'm afraid to look.
I registered my copyrights before I shared a single page with anyone else. But only because I have been BURNED by the failings of corporate entities who purport to have my best interests at heart.
I cannot believe it's all of us who are getting screwed by this. 😠
I have seven books with Loveswept (Penguin Random House) of which they registered two. I'm frankly amazed they got round to that.
I know this is small solace and won't work/isn't desired by many (the majority?) of the authors caught in this situation, but I do know one author who used the fact that her publishers failed to file copyright as contractually obligated to get her rights back to several of her bestselling titles.
I actually haven’t registered my own copyrights. I just put the lip service on the page at the end of each book. I guess I’m not getting settlement money.
Note that this differs by country. For example, in Europe copyright is automatic and doesn't need to be registered.
