Book Authors, Use These Resources to Get Info About the Anthropic Copyright Infringement Settlement
Less than a week ago, the moment arrived that a lot of authors have been waiting for since 2024. One of the biggest AI companies in the world agreed to a historic $1.5 billion settlement to end a class action copyright infringement lawsuit. Cue the cheers – and the arguments over who is owed what.
Bartz v. Anthropic is the first major copyright infringement lawsuit to be settled against an AI company for using books without permission to train its large language models. Following mediation with a neutral third party, the judge on the case provided preliminary approval for a settlement last September, and set a March 30, 2026, deadline for rights holders–including authors and publishers–to file claims if they believed their works had been infringed and they were entitled to part of the settlement.
The $1.5 billion award will be split among the rights holders of all the books included in the class–after administration fees, lawyers’ fees, and expenses are paid. Each title will be paid an equal amount, currently estimated to be slightly more than $2,000 per book.
Anticipation is High, But Questions Remain
Anticipation has been high among claimant authors who are eager to receive their funds.
But, as with any legal settlement, the language surrounding the case too often seems more intent on obscuring than clarifying what writers should do next. Fortunately, various writer organizations are working overtime to make sure authors get the information they need.
The settlement provides a 30-day window for co-claimants to resolve any differences about who’s owed what between themselves. Any differences must be resolved for the funds to be released. According to information shared by the Authors Guild, if a dispute over a claim isn’t resolved within the 30-day window, the settlement administrator will to try to facilitate a mutually agreeable resolution. If that’s unsuccessful, the dispute will be submitted to a court-appointed “Special Master” to make a final determination. The guild recommends that co-claimants with a disagreement to try resolve any disagreements so their settlement funds will be released.
On Sept. 9, the Authors Coalition of America invited representatives of its 23 member organizations to attend a meeting to discuss developments in the Anthropic settlement and find out what questions our members need answered.
As ASJA’s designated ACA representatives, Emily Paulsen and I attended the meeting and were impressed by the fine work some of our fellow ACA groups are doing in this area. Our colleagues suggested that we share their up-to-the-minute guidance with our members.
Read What Other Author Groups Have Published on the Anthropic Settlement and Related Cases
The following groups representing authors of various fiction and nonfiction book genres have published recent articles about the settlement, actions claimants can take, and disputes between authors and publishers over claim percentage allocations:
Important Information Regarding Anthropic Copyright Settlement Claim Notices, The Authors Guild. The guild’s Sept. 4 guide to the Anthropic settlement includes a link to the claim document that authors can use to review their claim summary and payout information, and information on allocation disputes, rights reversion, educational works, agent claims, and member support. AG members also can use a link to request legal help with claims’ related issues.
Authors Guild and Co-Plaintiffs File Motion for Summary Judgment v. OpenAI and Microsoft, Authors Guild. The Anthropic settlement opened the door for plaintiffs in a similar class action lawsuit against Microsoft and Open AI to ask for a summary judgement. The guild and more than a dozen authors filed the suit in September 2023, alleging Microsoft and the ChatGPT developer “infringed on the authors’ copyrights by pirating their works, copying them to train their AI, and trading the books between them as currency, and to reject the defendants’ fair use defense.”
Anthropic Copyright Settlement: Publishers Are Making Incorrect Claims on Authors’ Payouts, Writer Beware. The Writer Beware blog, sponsored by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association (SFWA), says its mission is to shine “a bright light into the dark corners of the shadow world of literary scams, schemes, and pitfalls.” True to that, the blog is all over the pitfalls and confusion surrounding the Anthropic settlement. The original article about the settlement was published Sept. 4 and various sections have been updated since then, some multiple times, as new reports from authors come in about settlement claim shenanigans involving publishers or agents.
What Textbook and Academic Authors Need to Know About the Landmark Copyright Infringement Case Bartz v. Anthropic, Textbook & Academic Authors Association (TAAA). The association shares step-by-step instructions relevant authors can take to file claims, including undisputed, disputed, and consolidated claims. The page also includes special guidance for textbook author claimants who want to negotiate the allocation percentage claimed by their publishers.
Next Steps in Bartz v Anthropic Settlement: Resolving Claim Percentage Differences, TAA Abstract. The TAAA’s textbook and academic writing blog shares additional details for claimants, including more specifics for textbook authors.
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Darcy Lewis is President of the American Society of Journalists and Authors and a Chicago health and medical journalist and content marketing writer.