I recently learned that, in the database of works included in the Bartz v. Anthropic class action settlement (regarding AI training data), distributors or aggregators may be listed in the metadata instead of the actual publisher. That means publishers searching for their own name in order to file claims may not surface titles that don’t explicitly list their name, only the distributor name.
The most obvious workaround for publishers is to search by ISBN number, but this can be a time-consuming task for publishers with large catalogs. Ironically, some publishers have resorted to using AI to automate the task—Julius is one tool I’ve heard mentioned. I remark on this as a heads up to author-publishers, small publishers, or even sizable publishers that may not realize they have unclaimed books because the distributor was listed as the publisher. (Distributors are not rightsholders and have no claim; only authors and/or publishers are rightsholders in this case.) The deadline to file claims in the Anthropic settlement is March 30. I recommend contacting the settlement administrators with problems or questions.
If you’re in the dark about the Anthropic settlement or need a refresher, here is an explainer.
Jane Friedman has spent her entire career working in the publishing industry, with a focus on business reporting and author education. Established in 2015, her newsletter The Bottom Line provides nuanced market intelligence to thousands of authors and industry professionals; in 2023, she was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World.
Jane’s expertise regularly features in major media outlets such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, NPR, The Today Show, Wired, The Guardian, Fox News, and BBC. Her book, The Business of Being a Writer, Second Edition (The University of Chicago Press), is used as a classroom text by many writing and publishing degree programs. She reaches thousands through speaking engagements and workshops at diverse venues worldwide, including NYU’s Advanced Publishing Institute, Frankfurt Book Fair, and numerous MFA programs.
