Court grants final approval of Anthropic copyright settlement

The settlement concerns Anthropic’s use of LibGen and PiLiMi to build its book collection, according to the case description.[2] The court granted the motion for final approval and found the settlement fair, reasonable, and adequate under the class-action rules.[1] The class is not defined as all authors or all copyright owners: it covers owners of books in versions of LibGen or PiLiMi that Anthropic downloaded, provided those works appear on the Works List.[1] For a rights holder assessing whether the settlement applies, the Works List is therefore central to the stated eligibility criteria.[1]

The court described the settlement as non-reversionary and said it includes a $1.5 billion fund.[1] Its estimated payment was approximately $3,000 per work, which the court said is four times the statutory minimum for ordinary infringement.[1] That figure is an estimate, not a stated fixed payment to every claimant: valid claimants will receive a pro rata per-work share.[1] The settlement also caps class counsel’s attorney-fee request at 25% of the fund, before costs and expenses.[1] The evidence does not specify a final payment amount for any individual claimant.[1]

As of April 16, 2026, claims had been made for 440,490 of the 482,460 works on the Works List, or 91.3%.[1] The court also reported 350 timely opt-outs covering 1,802 works and 54 objections or comments.[1] Andrea Bartz, Inc., Charles Graeber, and MJ + KJ Inc. were reaffirmed as class representatives.[1] Approval does not release claims about past AI outputs or future conduct, according to the settlement terms described by the court.[1] Those limits are important when distinguishing the approved settlement from claims it leaves unresolved.[1]