Authors Secure $1.5 Billion Settlement in Landmark AI Piracy Case

Landmark Agreement with Anthropic Submitted for Court Approval

Agreement Would Result in First Major Payout to Creators Challenging AI Exploitation of their Work, Believed Largest Recovery Ever in a US Copyright Case

On September 5, 2025, Plaintiffs in the Bartz et al. v. Anthropic PBC, No. 3:24-cv-05417-WHA (N.D. Cal.), literary piracy lawsuit today announced the terms of a landmark settlement requiring Anthropic to pay $1.5 billion to rightsholders whose books were downloaded by Anthropic from the notorious pirated databases “Library Genesis” (“LibGen”) and “Pirate Library Mirror” (“PiLiMi”) – and who otherwise qualify as members of the “LibGen & PiLiMi Pirated Books Class” previously certified by US District Judge William Alsup.

Under the terms of the proposed settlement, Anthropic will pay approximately $3,000 per class work. The case was originally filed by authors Andrea Bartz, Kirk Wallace Johnson, and Charles Graeber. The settlement is subject to the approval of the court, where a hearing on preliminary approval is scheduled for September 8th, 2025.

Believed to be the largest publicly reported recovery in the history of US copyright litigation, the massive payout sends a powerful message of accountability to AI developers who torrented copyrighted works from illegal pirated websites to train AI models. Anthropic’s acquisition and use of books from these websites, illegal websites that have been repeatedly shut down by law enforcement and the courts, was made public for the first time as a result of this action.

This settlement gives hope to creators of every kind including the writers, musicians, artists, journalists, and others seeking to enforce creators’ rights in dozens of other pending cases.

“Piracy harms those who devote their lives to writing and publishing books that benefit us all, and companies that exploit piracy and endanger the creative industries must be accountable,” said Co-Lead plaintiffs’ Rachel Geman of Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein LLP.

While the exact size of the final settlement class is being finalized, based on the current record and available information regarding the works covered by the settlement, several facts are clear:

• Anthropic will pay $1.5 billion plus interest into a settlement fund, equating to approximately $3,000 for each work covered by the settlement. We anticipate approximately 500,000 works in the class. To the extent Anthropic adds works that bring the total list above 500,000, it will pay an additional $3,000 per work. Depending on the number of claims submitted, the final figure per work could be higher.
• The settlement only releases claims based on past acts – it does not give Anthropic a license or permission for future AI training and it does not release any claims that arise after August 25, 2025.
• The settlement does not release any claims – past or future – based on the output of AI models. And Anthropic certifies in the agreement that it did not use materials from LibGen or PiLiMi in any commercial models.
• The settlement only covers works from the class list. Authors retain all rights and legal claims regarding any books not on the settlement works list.
• As part of the settlement, Anthropic has agreed to destroy the original files of works torrented/downloaded from Library Genesis or Pirate Library Mirror, and any copies that originate from the torrented copies

The resolution was negotiated in consultation with key stakeholders from the author and publisher communities.

President and CEO of the Association of American Publishers Maria Pallante said “I believe that settlement as presented is beneficial to all class members and I am hopeful that the settlement will receive wide support from copyright owners. Beyond the monetary terms, the proposed settlement provides enormous value in sending the message that Artificial Intelligence companies cannot unlawfully acquire content from shadow libraries or other pirate sources as the building blocks for their models.”

The CEO of the Authors’ Guild Mary Rasenberger praised the agreement as “an excellent result for authors, publishers, and rightsholders generally, sending a strong message to the AI industry that there are serious consequences when they pirate authors’ works to train their AI, robbing those least able to afford it.”

Consistent with the Court’s rulings in this case, the settlement class includes legal and beneficial owners of copyrights in books downloaded by Anthropic from Library Genesis or Pirate Library Mirror, and whose works were registered within five years of initial publication and prior to Anthropic’s download.

Co-lead class counsel appointed by the court are Justin Nelson, Susman Godfrey LLP and Rachel Geman, Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP.

Authors and rightsholders may visit AnthropicCopyrightSettlement.com, which gives potential class members an option to provide contact information to Class Counsel. In the coming weeks, and if the court preliminarily approves the settlement, the website will provide to find a full and easily searchable listing of all works covered by the settlement and information for class members about their options and rights regarding the settlement.

The court is scheduled to hold a hearing on the parties’ Unopposed Motion for Preliminary Approval of Settlement on Monday, September 8, and may schedule a final approval hearing for 2026. The settlement cannot take effect until court approval.

For more information regarding the settlement including a full description of the settlement class and claim requirements, visit AnthropicCopyrightSettlement.com.