US Freelance Writers Welcome Copyright Settlement

by Glen Shapiro, LawAndTax-News.com, New York

04 April 2005

It emerged last week that a class action brought in the United States by freelance authors and writing groups against several major publishers has been settled.

The suit combined three smaller actions brought against the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and others over their unauthorised inclusion of copyrighted works in databases, without affording the authors of the works additional compensation for this usage.

The Authors Guild, the American Society of Journalists and Authors, and the National Writers Union announced that authors who copyrighted their articles can expect up to $1,500 in compensation for each instance of unauthorised use, whilst writers who failed to register their copyright will receive substantially less, at $60 per story.

The amount of compensation awarded will also be conditional on the fee paid for the initial use of the article, the year of publication, and permission for future use.

According to an Out-Law report on the matter, Nick Taylor of the Authors Guild announced last week that:

"We are delighted. This is a substantial settlement, and, if approved, it will vindicate freelance writers who deserve compensation and control for their work in the electronic marketplace."

He went on to add:

"It proves our contention all along that access and on-line advertising revenues shouldn't all go into the pockets of big media, but should be shared with the creators."

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