Anthropic Settles Copyright Class Action Lawsuit f

Anthropic Settles Copyright Class Action Lawsuit for $1.5 Billion Over Pirated Book Data

By Steve Levine

Anthropic Books Settlement

Image Credit: Google | Published: September 8, 2025
Claim Form Deadline: Pending Payout: $3,000 (Estimated) Settlement Status: Claim Form Pending
You may be part of a new $1.5 billion class action settlement reached with Anthropic over allegations that the company downloaded large collections of copyrighted books from libraries and used them to help train its Claude AI models, violating the rights of intellectual property owners. The class action settlement is awaiting approval before a federal Court in San Francisco and will pay out an estimated $3,000 per covered work to qualified claimants, subject to court-approved fees and costs. A claim form website will be linked here if and when it is made available.

What is the Total Settlement Amount? The proposed class action settlement fund is $1.5 billion, subject to final class action court settlement approval.

How Do I Qualify For a Payout? You may qualify if you are a rights holder of a book that appears on the Works List tied to the case. Plaintiffs have identified roughly 465,000 books so far, and the list will be refined in court filings.

How Much Can I Get Paid? Reports indicate an estimated payment of about $3,000 per covered work. Payments are subject to court-approved fees and costs, and depend on how many rightsholders submit valid claims. Anthropic also agreed to add $3,000 per work if the final Works List exceeds 500,000 titles.

How Do I File a Claim? There is no official claim form website yet. A claim portal will only be announced after the Court grants preliminary approval and approves a notice plan.

What is the Claim Form Deadline? The claim deadline has not been set. It will be announced in the court-approved notice if preliminary approval is granted.

What are the Important Dates?
• September 5, 2025: Plaintiffs moved for preliminary approval of a $1.5 billion settlement in the Northern District of California
• September 8, 2025: The Court reviewed the proposal and requested more specificity on claims administration
• September 15, 2025: Court ordered a finalized Works List by this date
• September 22, 2025: Court requested a sample claim form by this date
• September 25, 2025: Next hearing scheduled on adequacy of the proposal
• October 10, 2025: Target for submitting an updated Works List and proposed Plan of Allocation

When is the class action settlement payment date? No payment date has been announced. Payments in class actions occur only after final approval and the resolution of any appeals.

Is Proof Required to File a Claim? Yes. Claimants should expect to provide documentation proving rights in any listed work they claim, such as copyright registrations or publishing agreements.

How to Claim Your Settlement Payment

• Step 1: Check if Your Book is Eligible

Verify your book appears on the Works List of approximately 465,000 titles. The finalized list will be available by September 15, 2025.

This is after the • Step 2: Gather Your Documentation

Collect proof of your rights to the book:

Publishing agreements

Rights assignment documents

Other ownership proof

• Step 3: Wait for Official Claim Portal

The claim form will only be announced after preliminary approval. Check back after September 25, 2025.

• Step 4: Submit Your Claim

Complete the official form before the court-set deadline with all required documentation.

• Step 5: Receive Payment

Get approximately $3,000 per covered work after final approval and resolution of appeals.

What did Anthropic allegedly do, and where did it get the books from? The class action lawsuit alleged Anthropic downloaded and stored copyrighted books from shadow libraries, including Library Genesis and Pirate Library Mirror, then used those materials while developing AI systems. Books3 is frequently reported as a separate dataset composed of pirated ebooks that appears in AI training controversies. The proposed settlement requires destruction of downloaded infringing copies.

Why This Matters For authors and publishers, the proposal recognizes that unlicensed acquisition of creative works can trigger substantial liability and meaningful compensation. For AI developers, it underscores the need for clean data pipelines and licensing strategies. For courts and policymakers, it signals how copyright law is being applied to modern AI systems.

How Do I Find Class Action Settlements? Find all the latest class actions you can qualify for by getting notified of new lawsuits as soon as they are open to claims:

Sources • Reuters - Anthropic agrees to pay $1.5 billion to settle author class action
• AP News - Court skewers $1.5B Anthropic settlement, demands Works List and sample claim form
• Authors Alliance - Works List size, $3,000-per-work estimate, Oct 10 Plan of Allocation
• CourtListener - Bartz et al. v. Anthropic PBC, No. 3:24-cv-05417-WHA (docket)
• Tom's Hardware - Anthropic to pay $1.5B over pirated books in Claude AI training
• WIRED - Anthropic agrees to pay at least $1.5B in AI copyright settlement

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