Authors celebrate “historic” settlement coming soon in Anthropic class action

A class-action lawsuit against AI company Anthropic over copyright infringement is nearing settlement, with both parties reaching an agreement in principle[^{1]. The lawsuit, filed by authors Andrea Bartz, Kirk Wallace Johnson, and Charles Graeber, alleged Anthropic illegally downloaded millions of books to train its AI models[}3].

U.S. District Judge William Alsup certified what could be the largest copyright class action ever, potentially including up to 7 million claimants[^{1]. The lawsuit claimed Anthropic pirated books from online sources including Books3, Library Genesis, and Pirate Library Mirror[}3].

"This historic settlement will benefit all class members," said Justin A. Nelson, attorney for the authors[^{1]. The parties must file a motion for preliminary approval by September 5, 2025[}1].

While settlement terms remain undisclosed, the case had serious implications - industry advocates warned that if every eligible author filed a claim, it could "financially ruin" the AI industry[^{1]. Anthropic had previously argued the lawsuit threatened its survival as a company[}1].

[^{1]: [Ars Technica - Authors celebrate "historic" settlement coming soon in Anthropic class action](https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/08/authors-celebrate-historic-settlement-coming-soon-in-anthropic-class-action/) [}3]: LA Times - AI company Anthropic settles with authors who alleged piracy