Sep 09, 2025 12:00:00

Judge puts hold on Anthropic copyright infringement class action settlement agreement

Anthropic, the developer of the chat AI 'Claude,' was sued by a group of authors for copyright infringement

and had initially agreed to a $1.5 billion settlement , but it has now been revealed that a judge has postponed approval of the settlement.

Anthropic Judge Blasts $1.5 Billion AI Copyright Settlement (2)
https://news.bloomberglaw.com/ip-law/anthropic-judge-blasts-copyright-pact-as-nowhere-close-to-done

Shocker: Judge Alsup “postpones” preliminary approval of class settlement in Bartz v. Anthropic. Updated with order. – Chat GPT Is Eating the World

https://chatgptiseatingtheworld.com/2025/09/08/shocker-judge-alsup-denies-preliminary-approval-of-class-settlement-in-bartz-v-anthropic-without-prejudice/

Judge reviews $1.5B Anthropic settlement proposal with authors over pirated books for AI training - Washington Times
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/sep/8/judge-reviews-15b-anthropic-settlement-proposal-authors-pirated-books/

The lawsuit was filed by a group of authors against Anthropic, alleging that the company used data from pirated websites and scanned books for training on Claude. A federal district court ruled that training using legally purchased books constituted fair use, but the two companies reached a settlement in late August 2025. However, this was merely an agreement between the parties, and the settlement required court approval for it to become final.

Anthropic to pay over 220 billion yen to settle copyright infringement lawsuit - GIGAZINE

Judge William Alsup, who received a motion to approve the settlement, denied the motion and stated that he would 'delay approval pending the submission of additional information.'

'The agreement is far from complete,' Judge Alsup said, adding, 'With so much money at stake, I'm concerned that some people might try to take advantage of it.' He also expressed concern that the lawyers may have pushed the agreement to force conditions on the authors.

Judge Alsup expressed disappointment that important issues, such as the list of works covered by the settlement agreement and the process for notifying potential class members, had been postponed, noting that these critical choices must have been made before preliminary approval.

Maria A. Pallante, president and CEO of the Authors Guild, which supported the settlement as 'advancing the shared goal of publishers and authors to fight copyright infringement,' expressed dissatisfaction, saying, 'The court does not understand how the publishing industry works, and the procedure the judge is seeking is unworkable. It seems to paint a picture of a world of litigation that will continue for years to come.'