Last fall, the AI research firm Anthropic agreed to a $1.5 billion settlement to resolve a class action lawsuit filed by authors and publishers alleging copyright infringement and improper use of pirated works to train its Claude AI model. The settlement addresses Anthropic’s use of hundreds of thousands of protected works sourced from datasets like LibGen as part of the model's training process. As a result of the payout, authors and publishers with qualified works may be entitled to a settlement payment for the improper use of their materials. While the final amount depends on the number of claimants, the estimated baseline is approximately $3,000 per work.
Under Regents' Rule 90101, the University's faculty generally own any copyrights in their scholarly or academic materials. Accordingly, faculty should actively review and manage the claims process or, where applicable, with their publishers.
How to File A Claim:
The claims process is straightforward and is designed to be author- and publisher-friendly, but the window closes on March 30, 2026. Follow these steps to submit a claim:
Search the Works List: Visit the Official Anthropic Settlement Website and use the "Works List Lookup" tool. You can search by Title, Author Name, or ISBN.
Verify Your Identity: If your work is listed, you will need to provide documentation of your copyright (for example, your publishing contract or a Copyright Office registration number).
