As part of the claims reconciliation process in the Anthropic case, the settlement administrator has sent out notices to all claimants summarising each of their claims, who else filed a claim for each title, and what percentage of the award others claimed. 

We are receiving a number of enquiries about these notices so our Advisory team has put together this Q&A to try to address some of the most frequently asked questions.  

If you received a ‘no disagreement’ claim summary 

What do I need to do? 

• Log in via the link provided and review the claim details carefully  
• Ensure the information matches the information you provided (eg award split) 
• Confirm or revise the information.  

I noticed an incoherence or information I believe is incorrect on the claim summary, what shall I do?  

Inform the settlement administrator of the disagreement immediately at  info@anthropiccopyrightsettlement.com or 1-877-206-2314   

Can I update my personal information?  

You will be able to update your payment details or address if these have changed since you submitted your claim.  

If you received a ‘disagreement’ claim summary 

A disagreement claim summary was sent to claimants when there are discrepancies in the claim or issues with the claim allocation. Examples of issues:   

• Publishers or authors mistakenly claimed 100% of the payout instead of the default split  
• Publishers claiming a split of the awards when rights had reverted to the author 
• Duplicates: author or publisher listed twice as a claimant  
• Anomaly with the listed co-claimants (e.g. a publisher the author has never heard about).

What do I need to do?  

• Log in via the link provided and review the claim carefully to understand the issue  
• Every situation will be unique and dependent on personal circumstances so we suggest you follow the excellent guidance from the Authors’ Guild on steps to take.

Note that rights must have reverted to you prior to 10 August 2022 (the later of the download date by Anthropic). Failing that, your publisher may have a valid claim.  

What if I’m not sure? 

 It’ll depend on the issue at stake, but you can:  

• Contact your publisher to seek clarification or guidance 
• Contact the settlement administrators at info@anthropiccopyrightsettlement.com  
• Contact the SoA  at info@societyofauthors.org.

I am not a US resident and I don’t have a US SSN or taxpayer number as demanded, what shall I do?   

• You will need to provide Form W-8BEN to certify nonresident status. You can use your UK tax number (not your NI number) instead of a US taxpayer number. We understand that if you are applying from the UK you do not need to put any answer to Q10 on this form. 
• If you operate as limited company or the heir to an author acting as their estate, you will need to provide W-8BEN-E. Tick ‘corporation’ if you are acting as a limited company.
• If you are acting in an agent capacity, you will need to provide from W-81MY.  
• All of the above forms can be downloaded from the IRS website, together with detailed instructions.  
• Pay attention to the requirement that you complete the forms in wet ink.  
• Upload the documentation in the update information portal (log in using your email address associated with the claim and your claim number)  

How long do I have to resolve the dispute?  

• Claimants have 30 days from receipt of the notice to try and resolve the dispute 
• If the dispute is outstanding at the end of the 30-day window, the settlement administrator will reach out to the claimants to facilitate resolution 
• Failing that, a Special Master will be appointed to reach out a decision. 

Note: funds will not be released until the dispute is successfully resolved.  

If you have any further questions, please get in touch at info@societyofauthors.org.