Authors whose works were included in a $1.5 billion piracy settlement with the AI developer Anthropic can start filing claims now to get paid after a federal judge approved the deal last week.
Judge William Alsup of the Ninth US Circuit Court of Appeals initially withheld approval of the settlement over concerns that authors wouldn't have enough time to file. The judge gave his sign-off for the settlement on Sept. 25. The settlement stems from a lawsuit alleging Anthropic illegally downloaded nearly 500,000 copyrighted works on Library Genesis (LibGen) and Pirate Library Mirror (PiLiMi) to train its AI chatbot, Claude.
Anthropic is expected to pay copyright owners $3,000 per book included in the settlement. Authors and copyright owners not on the list won't be eligible for settlement payments.
This is the first major settlement by an AI company related to the use of copyrighted materials to train large language models, but it likely won't be the last.
"I'm happy to see some accountability for the way companies like this have stolen authors' works," said CNET senior writer Jeff Carlson, the author of several books that were included in the settlement. "And the prospect of a settlement amount that isn't just a small token amount is somewhat exciting. But since this is also book publishing, I'm taking it with a grain of salt so far because that's often all that authors end up with."
To get the money, authors will have to file a claim with the settlement administrator. Here's how.
What happens now?
Now that the settlement has reached a preliminary approval, the case is now moving into the notice and claims phase.
The website, AnthropicCopyrightSettlement.com, includes a searchable list of works included in the settlement, important documents, key dates, and instructions on how to file a claim once authors receive their official settlement notice.
Who can receive a payout?
Only members of the LibGen & PiLiMi Pirated Books Class can qualify for payments. In order to be qualified as a class member, the following must be true:
You must be the copyright owner of a book on the list of those downloaded from LibGen or PiLiMi by Anthropic. The book must have an ISBN (International Standard Book Number) or ASIN (Amazon Standard Identification Number).
The book was registered with the US Copyright Office within five years of its first publication and before being downloaded by Anthropic or within three months of publication.
If you fit those criteria, you are considered a class member, but it doesn't mean you'll automatically get paid out. For that to happen, you'll need to file a claim.
What can authors do right now?
Authors are beginning to receive official notices, which will be sent via email, US mail and other methods. Here's what authors can do now while they wait and how to file a claim.
Double-check you're on the official works list
The official list of books covered by the case is on the official website. This is an important distinction, as if you found your work on another website that included your work, it might not be considered in the final list. Other lists may have included incorrect data or dates.
The Works List Lookup page lets authors search for their books via ISBN/ASIN, title, author name and publisher. If your book isn't found within this list, you likely will not receive an official notice.
You can always reach out to the claims admin team if you have questions.
File a claim by March 2026
If you've received your official notice already, you will be able to submit a claim for the settlement. Until you receive this notice, you will not be able to move forward. That's because each notice will have a unique ID number associated with it that will allow authors to file a claim.
Authors have until March 23, 2026 to file a claim.
Once you receive your notice, head over to the file a claim page on the website and enter the ID on the notice to proceed. Follow the instructions to submit your claim.