Anthropic, the artificial intelligence company behind the language model Claude, has reached a settlement with a group of authors who had filed a class-action lawsuit alleging copyright infringement. The authors claimed that Anthropic used their works without authorization to train its AI models. The terms of the settlement have not been disclosed, and both parties are expected to seek preliminary approval by September 5.
The lawsuit, initiated in August 2024 by authors Andrea Bartz, Charles Graeber, and Kirk Wallace Johnson, accused Anthropic of utilizing pirated copies of their books to develop Claude. The authors contended that this practice constituted large-scale theft of creative work for profit. In June 2025, U.S. District Judge William Alsup ruled that the use of copyrighted books for training AI models was “quintessentially transformative” and thus qualified as fair use. However, the judge also noted that Anthropic’s acquisition of these books from pirated online libraries could expose the company to significant damages, potentially up to $150,000 per infringed work. ([reuters.com](https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/anthropic-settles-class-action-us-authors-alleging-copyright-infringement-2025-08-26/?utm_source=openai))
Anthropic’s spokesperson expressed satisfaction with the fair use ruling, stating that it aligns with copyright’s purpose of enabling creativity and fostering scientific progress. The company, founded in 2021 by former OpenAI members, has positioned itself as a responsible AI developer. ([apnews.com](https://apnews.com/article/1e5cece51c2e4bd0bb21d94de2abb035?utm_source=openai))
This settlement marks a significant development in the ongoing discourse surrounding AI and copyright law. As AI technologies continue to evolve, the legal frameworks governing their development and use are being tested, with this case potentially setting a precedent for future disputes in the field. ([theatlantic.com](https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2025/07/anthropic-meta-ai-rulings/683526/?utm_source=openai))