Angie ManginoVictoria Strauss of Writer Beware has documented a lawsuit filed by BattleTech and Shadowrun authors and their estates against the Topps Company, alleging that royalties for 2022, 2023, and 2024 have gone unpaid despite repeated demands. The case raises broader questions about work-for-hire contracts and what happens to authors' rights when intellectual property passes through multiple corporate owners.
#WritingCommunity #Publishing #Authors #WriterBeware #WorkForHire
https://writerbeware.blog/2026/02/20/authors-and-authors-estates-sue-the-topps-company-for-unpaid-royalties/
#WritingCommunity #Publishing #Authors #WriterBeware #WorkForHire
https://writerbeware.blog/2026/02/20/authors-and-authors-estates-sue-the-topps-company-for-unpaid-royalties/
Authors and Authors' Estates Sue The Topps Company for Unpaid Royalties - Writer Beware
This is yet another Writer Beware post about allegations of royalties long left unpaid. But it’s also about the challenges of work-for-hire arrangements, and what can potentially go wrong when intellectual property repeatedly changes hands. The Complicated Background The BattleTech and Shadowrun franchises–which included both games and novels–were originally developed and published in the 1980sRead More