Copyright Settlement in On-Line Datebase Infringement Action

If you’ve published a law review or journal article since 1997, chances are you are a class member in In Re Literary Works In Electronic Databases Copyright Litigation.  The class includes (I think) authors of

All English-language literary works that, at any time afterAugust 14, 1997, was [sic] made available in electronic format without thecopyright owner’s permission by at least one of the Database Defendantsor Participating Publishers. These works are referred to here as”Subject Works.” Only works written in English and published in anEnglish-language publication are included. Letters to the editor,scientific studies, or works that are not literary works are notincluded. If you authored a work while employed by the publication thatfirst published it, that is a “work for hire” and is not included.

Database Defendants include the West Group and Reed Eselvier (operator of Lexis-Nexis).   Partipating publishers include every major law review and newspaper in the country.

Find out how to cash in on the settlement at The Copyright Litigation Website.  Claims are due September 30, 2005.  And once you’ve figured out how much your’e getting–please tell me what I’m getting, because I got a headache just trying to figure out  whether there even a damages subclass that covers me (so what if I never registered those copyrights with the Library of Congress.)   (Note:  I am pretty sure this lawsuit is not going to make me rich.)