Sep

20

Freelance Writers Win Class Action Suit

September 20, 2005 | Comments Off

Thanks to Karen Misuraca for letting us know:

$18 MILLION SETTLEMENT FOR WRITERS IN CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT

On March 29, 2005, the American Society of Journalists and Authors, the Authors Guild, and the National Writers Union announced the filing of a motion for court approval of an $18 million settlement in a class action suit they and 21 writers filed on behalf of thousands of freelancers whose stories appeared in online databases without their consent. Nearly 1,900 magazines and newspapers (all listed, alphabetically on the website below) sold copyrighted work to databases without permission or compensation.

The amount paid will depend on a number of factors, including whether the writer registered the copyright, the original fee paid for the article, the year it was published, and whether the writer permits the future use of the article in the databases. The primary period for which claims can be made is 1997 through March 23, 2005, though some earlier articles are also eligible. The plaintiff organizations believe that many such writers will have valid claims for hundreds of such articles, so even unregistered works might do well financially. Works for which the authors do not hold the copyright (i.e., work-for-hire contracts) are not eligible.

Read the full post . . .