Latest news – the Anthropic settlement website is now live. Find out more here
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 and latest developments
This is a class action consisting of authors and publishers who claim 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. A final ‘Works List’ will shortly be submitted to the Court and the matter is due to return before the court on 25 September.
Authors who can participate in the settlement
Once the Works List is finalised, a searchable database will be made available so that authors can check whether any of their books have qualified. If a book is on the Works List, then authors will be invited to contact the Settlement Administrator to ensure that they have their current contact details so that (i) they can be invited to comment on the proposed terms or opt out; and (ii) they can participate in the settlement.
Can UK authors take part?
One of the key issues will be whether the works of UK authors fall within the definition of works which will benefit from the settlement. As currently drafted, the definition provides that the settlement would apply to:-
“All beneficial or legal copyright owners of the exclusive right to reproduce copies of any book in the versions of LibGen or PiLiMi downloaded by Anthropic as contained on the Works List. “Book” refers to any work possessing an ISBN or ASIN which was registered with the United States Copyright Office within five years of the work’s first publication and which was registered with the United States Copyright Office before being downloaded by Anthropic, or within three months of publication. Excluded are the directors, officers and employees of Anthropic, personnel of federal agencies, and district court personnel. For avoidance of doubt, only works included on the Works List are in the Class.”
Given the class of books which will be covered by the settlement is effectively closed there is no benefit in authors now registering works with the US Copyright Office for the purpose of sharing in this settlement; if a book qualifies it should appear on the Works List.
Next steps
If the settlement is approved on 25 September, we will be able to provide further updates and guidance and will keep our members posted. In the meantime, members can contact [email protected]
If this settlement serves as a model for the settlement of other legal actions which are being brought against AI companies, registration of works with the US Copyright Office may be beneficial if those books have been downloaded or torrented from an unlawful dataset and again, we will keep our members posted.
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.