Anthropic's $1.5 billion book settlement descends into chaos as authors and publishers fight over who gets paid
Authors and publishers are filing competing claims over payouts from Anthropic's $1.5 billion copyright settlement covering 482,000 pirated books.
Anthropic agreed to pay $3,000 per illegally downloaded book, affecting more than 482,000 titles, in the largest copyright settlement in US history. As payouts begin, authors, publishers, and literary agencies are filing competing claims, complicated by poor rights-reversion records; textbook authors are reportedly owed as little as 10-15 percent under their contracts. A court had ruled Anthropic's use of illegally obtained books unlawful while deeming training on legally purchased books fair use.
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