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What just happened? Anthropic's landmark $1.5 billion copyright settlement with authors and publishers has received final court approval, clearing the way for payments in what is believed to be the largest recovery in US copyright history. The case centered on almost 500,000 books obtained from pirate libraries while the company was developing its Claude AI model.
US District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín signed off on the deal Monday, rejecting objections that the payout was too small, the lawyers were being overpaid, or some copyright holders had been improperly excluded. She awarded the plaintiffs' attorneys more than $101 million, well below the $187.5 million they requested.
Anthropic says more than 91% of the authors and publishers covered by the settlement have claimed a share. The agreement is expected to provide around $3,000 for each eligible work before legal fees, administrative costs, and other expenses, with payments divided between the authors and publishers that hold the rights.
