Anthropic Settles Copyright Class Action for $1.5 Billion

Update: The Anthropic claim form is now available.

Preliminary Approval Update: The court granted preliminary approval of the settlement on Sept. 25, 2025. Subscribe to the Claim Depot newsletter and get notified when the claim form becomes available.

Update: On Sept. 8, 2025, the judge overseeing the Anthropic case put the proposed class action settlement on hold. According to reports, the judge voiced concern over the accuracy of the number of pirated books to be included in the settlement. Additional concerns were addressed over the settlement notice and claim form, and ensuring every eligible author knows about the settlement and their options.

According to the judge, the case could potentially still go to trial. The judge set a deadline of Sept. 15, 2025 for a final and complete list of pirated books to be presented to the court and a deadline of Sept. 22, 2025 to provide the notice and claim form for review. A follow-up hearing to continue the review of the settlement has been scheduled for Sept. 25, 2025.

Individuals who own the exclusive right to reproduce any ISBN or ASIN-bearing book that Anthropic PBC copied from Library Genesis (LibGen) or Pirate Library Mirror (PiLiMi) may qualify to claim up to $3,000 per work from a class action settlement.

Proposed Settlement

Anthropic, the artificial intelligence company behind Claude, agreed to pay at least $1.5 billion to settle a class action lawsuit alleging it 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?

Class members must meet the following criteria:

• They are 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.
• Their work must be a “book,” defined as any work with an ISBN or ASIN registered with the U.S. Copyright Office within five years of its first publication before Anthropic downloaded it 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. The plaintiffs and defendant are jointly preparing the list and will submit it 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.

How much can class members get?

The total settlement fund is at least $1.5 billion. The settlement administrator calculates the amount paid to each class member 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 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.

How to claim a settlement payment

Class members can file a claim online or download, print, complete and mail the PDF claim form. The claim deadline is March 23, 2026.

Settlement administrator's mailing address: Anthropic Copyright Settlement, C/O JND Legal Administration, PO Box 91204, Seattle, WA 9811

What documentation is required to claim a payment?

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

• Title of the work(s)
• ISBN (if known)
• U.S. Copyright Office registration number
• Publisher (if known)
• Contact information

How will the $1.5 billion settlement fund be distributed?

The $1,500,000,000 settlement fund covers:

• Settlement administration costs: To be determined
• Attorneys' fees: Up to $375,000,000
• Service awards to class representatives: Not to exceed $50,000 each
• Payments to eligible class members: The remainder of the fund

The fund is non-reversionary, meaning none of the funds will return to Anthropic.

Timeline and dates

• Preliminary approval: Granted on Sept. 25, 2025 (e
• Works list milestones:
• Anthropic’s proposed revisions due: Sept. 15, 2025
• Meet and confer period ends: Sept. 30, 2025
• Joint works list due: Oct. 10, 2025

• Claim form deadline: March 23, 2026
• Final approval hearing: April 23, 2026
• Payments to eligible class members: Initial payment date estimated Aug. 10, 2026

Sources

1. Official settlement website
2. Settlement agreement