Legal Issues
A Writer’s Guide to Fair Use and Permissions + Sample Permissions Letter
If you need to request permissions from an author or publisher, here are general guidelines, plus a sample letter you can customize.
Why Your Non-Disclosure Agreement Is Probably a Bad Idea
Asking an editor or agent to sign a non-disclosure agreement is not part of traditional publishing business practice.
Are You Worried Your Ideas or Work Will Be Stolen?
I recently received the following question from working writer Shannon Traphagen: I have been fervently working on my novel (I
Anthropic possibly purchased 1 million print books for scanning and AI model training
In addition to pirating ebooks, they bought print books from wholesalers and used book retailers, including Ingram and Baker & Taylor.
Publishers sue Google for AI model training
Hachette Book Group and Cengage are joining a 2023 lawsuit against Google for using books to train its AI model known as Gemini.
Perplexity sued separately by New York Times and Chicago Tribune
The lawsuits accuse Perplexity of retrieving information in real time from paywalled sites without licensing.
One of the lawsuits to watch: OpenAI in the Second District
In one case, the judge has ordered OpenAI to provide in-house communications about deleting datasets they used to train ChatGPT.
Attention authors published by Amazon Publishing
This is a PSA for any Amazon Publishing authors whose books are in the Anthropic settlement list.
AI firm wins copyright lawsuit in the UK
Getty Image’s lawsuit against Stable AI, for scraping millions of images to train its software, has failed in a narrow ruling.
If you encounter ClaimsHero, I suggest you ignore them
The Arizona law firm has no connection to the Anthropic case, but is trying to skim off authors in the class who may be unhappy about the current settlement.
Authors Guild lawsuit against OpenAI moving forward
The suit, consolidated with several other cases from a range of authors, alleges that ChatGPT’s outputs constitute copyright infringement.
Get your questions answered about the Anthropic settlement on Oct. 16
The Authors Guild is holding a free webinar for all authors (you don’t have to be a member) on Thursday, October 16, at 6 p.m. ET.
It’s a big deal: judge gives prelim approval for Anthropic settlement
Beginning October 2, authors can check an online searchable list to see if their works are included in the Anthropic settlement.
Anthropic settlement: proposed default split is 50-50 between author and publisher
The proposed split is common in publishing contracts for sharing the proceeds in copyright infringement cases.
A horrible discovery brought on by the Anthropic suit: Publishers don’t always register for copyright (!)
Some authors are finding their publishers did not in fact register their books as they are contractually obligated to do.
Florida’s book banning law found to be overbroad and unconstitutional
A federal judge said that the law’s prohibition on books describing sexual conduct was overbroad and violates the First Amendment.
Important: If you want to be part of the Anthropic class action
The plaintiffs’ attorneys are now collecting contact information from all authors and publishers who may be part of the class.
What happens if the Anthropic AI training lawsuit proceeds as class action?
AI advocates argue that class certification could potentially force a settlement that could cripple both the company and the broader AI sector.
The authors of 7 million works used to train AI are now part of the Anthropic case
The judge has now ruled that the case can move forward as a class action, with a trial scheduled for December to determine damages.
Anthropic files for appeal in the AI copyright case
The appeal cites the other AI case, the one against Meta, where a judge ruled that training on pirated works might be considered fair.
Two Court Rulings on AI: Neither Gives Authors What They Want, But There’s Still a Long Road Ahead
While the same issue lies at the heart of both cases and both judges found in favor of AI companies, the rulings are quite different from one another.
Authors Guild files class-action lawsuit against the National Endowment for the Humanities
In early April, the NEH terminated grants already approved and in-progress in order to repurpose funds for President Trump’s agenda.
AI Made Me Want to Trademark My Name. Here’s How I Did It.
How one author protected her brand without hiring a lawyer. It just takes time, patience, and a few hundred dollars.
Here we go again: about that database of works used to train AI
The two year old story is making headlines again, except this time with a focus on the notorious LibGen database.
Public Domain Day
Here are a few of the notable literary works hitting the public domain on January 1, 2025.
