Some of those fees include future work that lawyers will do to distribute funds, and some authors argued that lawyers\u2019 projections for time spent were alarmingly inflated. Acknowledging these concerns, Mart\u00ednez-Olgu\u00edn wrote in a footnote that the court decided to take \u201can additional step to protect the interests of the Class.\u201d Once payouts have been finalized, lawyers will be required to file a post-distribution accounting, and if their fees are less, then the court \u201cmay reduce\u201d them, Mart\u00ednez-Olgu\u00edn said.<\/p>\n
Although the settlement likely relieves the three authors who spent years defending their works and 506,194 works from potential class members, the lead plaintiffs are likely disappointed by a decision to reduce their requested service awards from $50,000 to $15,000.<\/p>\n
But Mart\u00ednez-Olgu\u00edn said that the higher amount was \u201cunreasonable,\u201d despite authors spending substantial time and resources on both litigation and the settlement negotiation. Without a sign that authors may face retaliation for filing the lawsuit, the judge ruled that lower awards were due.<\/p>\n