So the AI class action of authors against Anthropic for stealing all our works is up in the air right now (and a mess), but...I'm thinking about this differently this morning

The settlement happened FAST & *screwed lots of writers* because the # of stolen works copyright registered in the US was VERY LOW.

500k out of 7M ~ 7%!

But what if it were higher?

If the # of copyright registrations was even 50%, Anthropic would be bankrupted by any settlement.
2/n

That's why Anthropic was freaking out.

And this isn't a one-and-done thing... not just this lawsuit, not even with all the other lawsuits...

AI companies are *still* stealing, they will keep stealing in the future even more, because

**theft is their business model**

3/n

Every indie & every tradpub author, right now, should see clearly why they need to register copyright. I know I do.

AI corps are stealing our works **right now** & will continue to do so, and

**the more copyright registrations we build up**

the more ammunition we have to destroy them.
4/n

I do understand cost is a factor why people don't register copyright(and you shouldn't have to! The system also needs reform!)

But the people who can afford it, need to do it (and the publishers need to be sued to make them do it).

This is a battle that will continue for years (if not decades).

5/n

Not just this specific lawsuit, but all the others, the defense of copyright in general, the prosecution of theft by the tech industry in general.

This entangles authors worldwide, international treaties, the entire concept of protecting intellectual property.

This is BIG.
6/n

We have a real weapon to fight the tech industry...or the world has to admit that intellectual property isn't a thing anymore & we're just in the cyberpunk dystopia where we're all owned by OpenAI.

Ironically, with Trump actively destroying the country, that possibility is far too real.

7/n

Copyright registration is a very imperfect weapon for fighting the battle against the broligarchs.

Especially with it being costly and cumbersome.

But it's the weapon we have & it's *conceptually* the right weapon. (I would like to see reform, but make it *harder* to infringe, not easier).

8/n