Stanford professors sue Anthropic separately over book piracy after $1.5B settlement

GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.

The ruling draws a line between legally acquiring books for AI training, which the judge deemed fair use, and pirating them, which he did not, a distinction likely to shape future AI copyright litigation. Authors like Wolff argue the settlement undercompensates them and leaves Anthropic broad latitude to use literature for profit, suggesting more writers could pursue individual claims rather than accept class settlements.

• Judge Alsup ruled Anthropic's piracy of books for a permanent library was illegal, while legal acquisition for training was fair use.
• The $1.5 billion Bartz settlement covers nearly 500,000 works, but some authors call it insufficient compensation.
• Wolff and Lee opted out to pursue Cruz v. Anthropic, seeking statutory damages up to $150,000 per infringed work via jury trial.