Anthropic Settles Copyright Class Action for $1.5 Billion

Anthropic PBC

If you are the owner of the exclusive right to reproduce any ISBN or ASIN-bearing book that Anthropic PBC copied from Library Genesis (LibGen) or Pirate Library Mirror (PiLiMi), you may be eligible to claim up to $3,000 per work from a class action settlement.

Anthropic, the artificial intelligence company behind Claude, has agreed to pay at least $1.5 billion to settle a class action lawsuit. The lawsuit alleged that Anthropic downloaded and used copyrighted books from pirate websites LibGen and PiLiMi without authorization to train its AI models.

This settlement, if approved, is expected to be the largest publicly reported copyright recovery in U.S. history.

Who can file an Anthropic Copyright claim?

According to court documents, to qualify, class members are those who meet all of the following:

A legal or beneficial copyright owner of the exclusive right to reproduce copies of any book that Anthropic downloaded from LibGen or PiLiMi, as listed on the finalized Works List.
The work must be a “book,” defined as any work with an ISBN or ASIN that was registered with the U.S. Copyright Office within five years of its first publication, and was registered before being downloaded by Anthropic or within three months of publication.
The work must appear on the finalized Works List, which will include the title, author(s), publisher, ISBN and/or ASIN, and U.S. copyright registration number. This list is being jointly prepared by the parties and will be submitted to the court for approval.
Authors, publishers, or rightsholders who reside outside the United States are also eligible, provided their works meet the above criteria.

If you believe Anthropic may have downloaded your book(s) from LibGen or PiLiMi, you are encouraged to provide your contact information through the intake process to ensure you receive formal notice if you are determined to be a class member.

How much can class members get?

The total settlement fund is at least $1.5 billion. The amount paid to each class member is calculated on a per-work basis, with an estimated gross recovery of $3,000 per qualifying work, before deductions for attorneys’ fees, expenses, and service awards.

Gross Recovery Calculation:

Total Settlement Fund: $1,500,000,000
Estimated Number of Works: 500,000
Per Work Recovery: $1,500,000,000 / 500,000 = $3,000

If the final Works List includes more than 500,000 works, Anthropic will increase the fund by $3,000 for each additional work. The actual amount each class member receives may be reduced by attorneys’ fees (not to exceed 25% of the fund), litigation expenses, and service awards to class representatives.

The final payment could be higher if interest accrues on the fund during the payment schedule, or if the number of qualifying works is lower than estimated.

What documentation required to claim a payment?

Claimants must provide information about their book(s), including:

Title of the work(s)
ISBN (if known)
Publisher (if known)
Contact information

Class members will be required to attest to ownership or rights in the work(s) and provide relevant details for verification. Authors and publishers may need to provide registration information or other documentation if requested. Loan-out companies should provide company details and addresses if applicable.

How will the $1.5 billion settlement fund be distributed?

The settlement fund of $1.5 billion will cover payments to class members, attorneys’ fees, litigation expenses, service awards for class representatives, and settlement administration costs. The fund is non-reversionary, meaning all funds will be distributed to class members or for approved expenses.

Settlement administration costs: TBD
Attorneys' fees: Not to exceed 25% of the settlement fund)
Attorneys' expenses: Up to $375,000,000
Service awards to class representatives: Not to exceed $50,000 each
Payments to class members: Remainder of the fund after above deductions

Timeline & dates

Assuming the court grants preliminary approval on a hypothetical date of September 15, 2025:

Preliminary Approval: Sep 15, 2025 (hypothetical)
Works List milestones: Sep 15, 2025 (Anthropic’s proposed revisions due) → Mon, Sep 30, 2025 (meet & confer period ends) → Fri, Oct 10, 2025 (joint Works List due to Court)
Notice Date: Nov 14, 2025. Must be no later than 60 days after Preliminary Approval; 60 days from Sep 15 lands on Nov 14.
Claim Form Deadline: Mar 14, 2026. Must be no later than 120 days after the Notice Date; also the proposed schedule pegs the Final Approval motion to this date. If a claim is timely but missing info, the Administrator may allow up to 28 extra days to cure after the deadline.
Final Approval Hearing: Mar 28, 2026 (nominal). The proposed schedule sets the hearing 14 days after the Final Approval motion (filed on the Claim Deadline). The Court will choose an actual weekday near this date.
Effective Date: Apr 30, 2026 (no-appeal scenario)
- The Agreement defines Effective Date as one business day after the later of:
  - the last day to notice an appeal from the Final Judgment
  - completion of all appeals affirming the judgment without material modification; or
  - final dismissal of any appeal.

If the Court enters Final Judgment on Mar 30, 2026 (a realistic weekday near the nominal hearing), the civil appeal deadline is 30 days after entry (i.e., Apr 29, 2026), so the Effective Date becomes the next business day: Apr 30, 2026. (If any appeal is filed, the Effective Date shifts to one business day after all appellate proceedings fully conclude.)

Payments to Class Members: by May 28, 2026 (no-appeal scenario). The Administrator calculates and begins issuing Settlement Payments within 28 days after the Effective Date; 28 days from Apr 30 is May 28, 2026. (If appeals extend the Effective Date, add 28 days after that later Effective Date.)