We have had lots of enquiries about the Anthropic case in the US so we’ve put together an update and some guidance below.
Background
This was a class action consisting of authors and publishers who claimed that their copyright was infringed by Anthropic PBC, which used books from pirate websites Library Genesis (‘LibGen’) and Pirate Library Mirror (‘PiLiMi’) without permission to train their Large Language Models.
The settlement terms were considered by the Judge, Hon. William Alsup, on 8 September 2025 but the settlement was not approved, with the Judge seeking clarification on a number of points, including the works which will benefit from any settlement. On 25 September 2025, the settlement was approved.
Authors who could participate in the settlement
Once the Works List was finalised, a searchable database was made available so that authors could check whether any of their books qualified. If a book was on the Works List, then authors were invited to contact the Settlement Administrator to ensure that they had their current contact details so that (i) they could be invited to comment on the proposed terms or opt out; and (ii) they could participate in the settlement.
The deadline to submit a claim was 30 March 2026.
Confirmation of settlement
Anthropic proposed to establish a non-reversionary Settlement Fund of $1.5 billion, payable in four instalments, with rightsholders expecting to receive at least $3,000 per title.
On 20 July 2026, the settlement was approved by US District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín.
Class members can find out more on how to submit a Claim Form by visiting the settlement website, which can be found here.
WGGB’s work on AI and how you can get involved
WGGB has been taking part in sustained campaigning and lobbying work around copyright and AI, which we believe is the best way to represent the interests and protect the rights of writers in the UK. We believe regulation is the way forward and will continue to push the Government hard to adopt an ‘opt-in’ model, where permission is sought and agreed before AI companies can use any writer’s work.
We have met and continue to meet with Government on this issue, we responded to a Government consultation on writers and AI, supported proposed amendments to the Data Bill, have taken part in protests, issued a policy position statement and continue to issue regular guidance and advice to our members. Find out more via our Writers and AI campaign page, including how you can get involved.