Anthropic Settlement FAQs for Authors
What do I need to know about the Bartz et al. v. Anthropic settlement?
This settlement resolves a class action lawsuit brought against Anthropic over the company’s use of pirated books to train its AI model. In short, the judge deemed that Anthropic’s use of pirated books was a breach of copyright, and as a result, affected authors and publishers are eligible for compensation. The full searchable list of eligible works can be found here.
Why is my work not on this list?
Congratulations! This means that your work was not one of the works illegally pirated by Anthropic.
My work is on the list. Should I file a claim?
There is no need for you to file a claim. We are currently working to carefully and accurately file all claims on behalf of authors by the March 23, 2026, deadline. This will guarantee the smoothest process for all parties, as conflicting or multiple claims filed against a single work could cause delays and confusion.
If I don’t have to file a claim, why am I being contacted about this?
As part of the standard class action process, publishers are working with counsel to provide contact details for all authors whose works are on this list. Once all contact information has been provided, authors will be contacted in late fall 2025 to be alerted that they are part of this settlement. There is nothing actionable here for authors; this is merely a standard notice.
What does it mean to
“
opt out
”
of this settlement?
Again, as part of the standard class action process, all claimants are given the opportunity to opt out of the settlement when they are notified in late fall 2025. Please DO NOT opt out before contacting us directly if you have any questions or concerns.
Is there any benefit to filing a claim early?
No. This is why we are working steadily toward the March 23, 2026, deadline to ensure that our claims are filed carefully and accurately.
How much compensation will I get per book?
We don’t know yet. The settlement has determined an award of approximately $3,000 per infringed copyright-registered title, but the amount received will be less after deducting lawyer fees and costs, which have not yet been disclosed. Once those fees are deducted, this settlement stipulates that the remaining amount will be split evenly between the publisher and the author, which is the industry standard for university presses. If there are multiple authors per work, the author portion will also be split evenly among authors.
I see that my work is listed as “Not Education.” What does that mean?
The settlement defines “Education” works as textbooks primarily published by textbook publishers. UPC’s titles are classified under “Not Education” works, meaning works published by university presses or trade publishers. For these works, as mentioned above, compensation will be split evenly between authors and publishers.
I am not the copyright holder for my book (e.g., the copyright is registered in the name of the publisher). Am I still eligible for this compensation?
Yes. As noted, we are providing author contact information for all infringed works and will file claims on your behalf. You will receive direct communication from the claims advisor later in the process.
When will I receive my compensation?
The settlement will pay out in three waves, which means that regardless of when your claim was filed, you should receive your payout as three separate payments. While much still depends on the intricacies of the case/appeals processes, counsel currently estimates that the first payment will be paid out around summer 2026, with the second and third waves of payments in fall 2026 and fall 2027, respectively.
I found my book on the searchable list, but the identified publisher is wrong. What should I do?
This is rare, but if this happens, please contact us immediately so we can double check that your book is on our list of titles for which to file claims. As with all large datasets, the information is not perfect, but rest assured that we are carefully running additional data checks on our end to make sure we identify all titles for the University Press of Colorado, Utah State University Press, and the University of Alaska Press that may have mistakenly been attributed to a different publisher.
My book was published by the University of Alaska Press or by Utah State University Press, but the identified publisher is the University Press of Colorado. Is that OK?
Yes. This is not a problem, and you do not need to take further action.
I was contacted by the settlement administrator (SA) but the contact information they used is out-of-date. How do I correct this?
We recommend that you email us to update your contact information and also submit your updated contact information directly to the SA at
Is there anything at all I need to do to make sure that I am properly compensated as part of this settlement?
No. UPC will file all claims on behalf of its authors, which will result in your inclusion and receipt of compensation. The best thing you can do is to keep your contact information with us up-to-date and, of course, watch for communications from us or the claims advisor.
Who should I contact with additional questions?
If you have additional questions about your University Press of Colorado, University of Alaska Press, or Utah State University Press book, please contact press director Darrin Pratt.
Further Resources
