If You Ever Published a Book You Might Be Owed $3,000 by Anthropic and Claude AI
Learn how to file a claim here!
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 shadow libraries and used them to train its Claude AI models. The settlement, if approved, could pay about $3,000 per covered work to qualified authors and publishers.
What is the Total Settlement Amount?
The proposed class action settlement fund is $1.5 billion, subject to final court approval.
How Do I Qualify For a Payout?
You may qualify if you are a rights holder of a book that appears on the official Works List tied to the case. Plaintiffs have identified about 465,000 titles so far, and the list will be refined and finalized in court filings.
How Much Can I Get Paid?
The settlement is expected to pay around $3,000 per covered work.
If the Works List grows beyond 500,000 titles, Anthropic has agreed to add an additional $3,000 per title.
Final payments depend on how many claims are submitted and will be reduced by court-approved fees and costs.
How Do I File a Claim?
There is no official claim form yet. The claims portal will only be available after the Court grants preliminary approval.
What is the Claim Form Deadline?
The deadline has not been set. It will be announced in the court-approved notice once preliminary approval is granted.
What are the Important Dates?
Sept 5, 2025: Plaintiffs moved for preliminary approval of the $1.5B settlement.
Sept 8, 2025: The Court reviewed the proposal and asked for more details on claims administration.
Sept 15, 2025: Deadline for filing a finalized Works List.
Sept 22, 2025: Court requested a sample claim form by this date.
Sept 25, 2025: Next hearing on adequacy of the settlement.
Oct 10, 2025: Deadline for filing an updated Works List and proposed Plan of Allocation.
When is the Class Action Settlement Payment Date?
No payment date has been announced. In class actions, payments typically occur after final approval and resolution of any appeals, which can take months or even years.
Is Proof Required to File a Claim?
Yes. Claimants should be prepared to provide documents such as:
Copyright registration certificates
Publishing agreements
Rights assignment records
Other evidence of ownership
What Did Anthropic Allegedly Do?
The lawsuit alleged that Anthropic:
Downloaded copyrighted books from shadow libraries like Library Genesis and Pirate Library Mirror.
Used the pirated datasets, including the controversial Books3 collection, to train its Claude AI models.
Stored and distributed unauthorized copies of books, violating copyright law.
As part of the settlement, Anthropic has agreed to destroy any infringing copies it still holds.
Why This Matters
For authors and publishers: The case recognizes that unauthorized use of books can lead to substantial compensation.
For AI developers: It highlights the need for clean data licensing strategies when training AI systems.
For courts and policymakers: It shows how copyright law is evolving to cover modern AI practices.
Sources
Reuters – Anthropic agrees to pay $1.5 billion to settle author class action
AP News – Court requests Works List and sample claim form in Anthropic case
Authors Alliance – $3,000 per work estimate, Plan of Allocation
CourtListener – Bartz et al. v. Anthropic PBC, No. 3:24-cv-05417-WHA
Tom’s Hardware – Anthropic to pay $1.5B over pirated books in Claude AI training
WIRED – Anthropic copyright settlement moves forward
⚠️ Note: OpenClassActions.com is a news site only and is not a claims administrator or law firm. Claims must be filed truthfully through the official settlement portal once available.