A federal judge has signed off on Anthropic's $1.5 billion class action settlement with authors who accused the company of training its AI models on copyrighted books.

The settlement will provide around $3,000 for each book allegedly pirated by Anthropic, potentially making it the 'largest known copyright recovery in history.' The legal battle began when a group of authors including Andrea Bartz, Charles Graeber, and Kirk Wallace Johnson first filed a lawsuit against Anthropic in 2024.

In September 2025, Anthropic agreed to the settlement, with almost 91% of authors and publishers claiming their share. However, some plaintiffs argue that $3,000 per book is insufficient compensation for their lost royalties.

The approval comes amid ongoing copyright disputes, including one from Chicken Soup for the Soul and several other authors who believe Anthropic hasn't paid enough to make amends for using their copyrighted material without permission.