Anthropic has reportedly agreed to a settlement of “at least” $1.5 billion, plus interest, in a class-action lawsuit involving authors whose works were allegedly used to train AI systems. This payment is expected to provide roughly $3,000 for each book or work, marking it as one of the largest settlements in U.S. copyright litigation concerning such issues. This settlement, which is pending court approval with a hearing scheduled for September 8, may increase depending on the number of claims submitted, with a possibility of additional payments if more than 500,000 works are involved.
Notably, the settlement does not grant Anthropic future rights to use these works for AI training, nor does it release claims arising after August 25, 2025. The legal context for this agreement stems from claims made by three authors in August 2024, who alleged that Anthropic’s business model involved using copyrighted books without permission. A federal judge had previously ruled that while Anthropic could legally train its AI on purchased books, it still needed to address claims regarding the alleged use of pirated works.
The settlement is part of a broader landscape where AI companies face increasing scrutiny over copyright infringements, as well as ongoing litigation. This settlement follows other legal actions against Anthropic, including a lawsuit from Reddit for unauthorized access to its content and another from Universal Music over the use of copyrighted song lyrics.
Authors and rights holders impacted by the lawsuit can find more information at Anthropic’s dedicated settlement website, which will also provide details about the works covered and options for class members if the settlement is approved.
Source: https://www.theverge.com/anthropic/773087/anthropic-to-pay-1-5-billion-to-authors-in-landmark-ai-settlement