Judge Approves Anthropic’s $1.5 Billion Copyright Settlement; Only 350 Authors Opt Out

A judge approved a $1.5 billion settlement between Anthropic and authors, concluding the largest copyright class-action ever certified and marking the largest copyright settlement in history. The settlement followed a court ruling that Anthropic’s AI training on books constituted fair use, though its piracy of works likely did not. Opposing authors argued that lawyers’ fees were excessive and per-work payouts of about $3,000 were too low, but only 350 authors chose to opt out of the agreement.