Bartz v Anthropic (ND Cal. Oct 17, 2025) - Judge Alsup Opinion re preliminary settlement approval
The Northern District of California preliminarily approved a class-action settlement between copyright owners and Anthropic PBC, along with the distribution and notice plans, while preserving objections and setting a later fairness hearing.
What it does The opinion clarifies the settlement class as beneficial or legal owners of the exclusive right to reproduce books appearing on the Works List—books downloaded by Anthropic from LibGen or PiLiMi and meeting specified registration and publication criteria. For settlement purposes, the parties stipulated that listed works satisfy the works-related criteria, leaving claimants to establish ownership. The order approves a per-work recovery of approximately $3,000 before costs and fees, an injunction requiring destruction of qualifying copies derived from LibGen and PiLiMi subject to legal-preservation requirements, and a tailored release covering past AI-input conduct but not past AI outputs or future conduct. It also preliminarily approves a notice plan using direct and indirect notice, a distribution plan, JND Legal Administration as settlement administrator, and a potential special-master role for Naomi Jane Gray.
Who it affects The settlement affects authors, publishers, and other copyright owners connected to the 482,460 listed works, as well as Anthropic. Class representatives, counsel, the administrator, and potential objectors or claimants must follow the approved procedures.
Why it matters The court found the settlement likely fair, adequate, reasonable, and suitable for classwide final judgment, describing it as the largest copyright class-action settlement in history. The ruling also explains why Anthropic’s alleged copying from pirate libraries presented stronger settlement risk than the court’s separate fair-use rulings concerning certain training and library-copying conduct.
Key dates and numbers
- Lawsuit filed: August 19, 2024; term sheet signed: August 25, 2025; settlement agreement signed: September 5, 2025.
- Opinion dated October 17, 2025; fairness hearing set for noon on April 23, 2026.
- 482,460 works; approximately $3,000–$3,100 per work before costs and fees.
- Notice plan contemplated nearly 100 million advertisements and contact information for at least one putative class member for over 99% of works.
- Plaintiffs firms - Susman Godfrey, Lieff Cabraser