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Judge approves Anthropic’s $1.5 billion book settlement
A federal judge approved Anthropic’s $1.5 billion settlement with authors, with payments of about $3,000 per allegedly pirated book.
Image: The Verge
A federal judge has approved Anthropic’s $1.5 billion class action settlement with authors who accused the company of training its models on copyrighted books. In an order issued Monday, Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín said the deal provides “meaningful relief,” with authors set to receive about $3,000 for each book allegedly pirated by Anthropic, according to Reuters.
The payout is being described by the plaintiffs' law firm as the “largest known copyright recovery in history.” Authors Andrea Bartz, Charles Graeber, and Kirk Wallace Johnson first sued Anthropic in 2024.
The case took a mixed turn last year. The now-retired Judge William Alsup handed Anthropic a partial win, but also allowed a separate class action to proceed over what he described as “Napster-style downloading of millions of works.” Anthropic agreed to the $1.5 billion settlement in September 2025, and Alsup later granted preliminary approval.
“We are pleased that more than 91% of authors and publishers covered by the settlement have claimed their share of the payment. We’re looking forward to bringing this matter to a close.”
Even with this approval, Anthropic’s copyright fight is not over. The company still faces lawsuits from Chicken Soup for the Soul and several other authors who argue that $3,000 per book is not enough.
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via The Verge
