Judge halts Anthropic's $1.5 billion settlement over book piracy concerns
- The $1.5 billion settlement involves a class action against Anthropic over the alleged use of pirated books.
- Judge Alsup expressed concerns about authors not being adequately informed about the settlement terms and the compensation process.
- The case highlights broader issues regarding fair use in the context of AI training on copyrighted materials.
In the United States, the federal judge overseeing a class action lawsuit against Anthropic has put the company’s proposed $1.5 billion settlement on hold. This decision came during a recent hearing where Judge William Alsup expressed significant concerns regarding the settlement’s terms. The agreement, which aimed to compensate authors approximately $3,000 for each book that Anthropic is accused of using without permission for AI training, did not satisfy the judge, who noted potential issues with authors being coerced into a deal that may not fully represent their interests. Judge Alsup pointed out that the settlement could create new disputes among authors instead of resolving their grievances, highlighting his apprehension about lawyers negotiating terms without proper transparency. He called for further investigation into the settlement’s claims process and requested clearer data regarding the number of books involved, which an attorney for the authors claimed was around 465,000. The judge argued that a precise count is necessary to prevent any future lawsuits from arising out of this situation. Justifying his hesitance, Alsup stated that class members must be adequately informed, saying they require