Overview

• The proposed class deal asks Judge William Alsup for preliminary approval today and would require Anthropic to destroy downloaded pirated book files while leaving its Claude models intact.
• Payments are set at about $3,000 per covered work for roughly 500,000 works, with eligibility tied to ISBN/ASIN and timely U.S. Copyright Office registration.
• If the final list exceeds 500,000 works, Anthropic will add $3,000 per additional title, with a final works list due to the court by October 10 and class notices expected this fall.
• The agreement disclaims any admission of liability, covers only conduct before August 25, 2025, and does not foreclose potential claims over AI outputs or future data use.
• Judge Alsup previously found training on lawfully obtained books could be fair use but ruled Anthropic infringed by storing over 7 million pirated titles, a split that helped drive the class resolution and avert a December damages trial.