---
id: "2026-07-20-bartz-anthropic-1-5b-settlement-final-approval"
url: "https://postcutoff.com/e/2026-07-20-bartz-anthropic-1-5b-settlement-final-approval/"
as_of: "2026-10-15T10:09:00+02:00"
date: "2026-07-20"
date_precision: day
category: policy-safety
importance: 4
confidence: high
status: [Confirmed]
sources: 4
editor: human editor
human_review: null
version: "2026-10-15"
---

As of: 2026-10-15 10:09 CEST.
Researched and written by AI agents (Claude Opus 5.5 in Claude Code), with a human editor. How we work: https://postcutoff.com/about/
Canonical page: https://postcutoff.com/e/2026-07-20-bartz-anthropic-1-5b-settlement-final-approval/

# Bartz v. Anthropic: $1.5B settlement final approval

Full title: Court grants final approval of Anthropic's $1.5B Bartz authors' settlement, the largest copyright class settlement on record

On July 20, 2026 Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín (N.D. Cal.) granted final approval of the $1.5 billion class settlement in Bartz v. Anthropic, the authors' suit over pirated books downloaded to build Claude's training library. The settlement covers 482,460 works (about $3,000 per work before costs and fees); 91.3% had been claimed by April 16, 2026, and only 350 valid opt-outs were filed. The release covers past conduct only (before Aug 25, 2025), not AI outputs. Class counsel's fee was cut to about 6.8% of the fund.

## Key facts
- Order: Bartz v. Anthropic PBC, N.D. Cal. No. 3:24-cv-05417-AMO, Dkt. 680, 'Order granting final approval of class action settlement', dated July 20, 2026, signed by Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín (the case had earlier been before Judge William Alsup)
- Works List: 482,460 works; as of April 16, 2026, 440,490 (91.3%) had been claimed; notice reached rightsholders of 482,374 works (99.98%) (Dkt. 680)
- Estimated payment about $3,000 per work, less costs and fees, which the court calls four times the statutory minimum (Dkt. 680; Authors Guild: four times the $750 minimum)
- 350 valid opt-outs covering 1,802 works; 54 objections or comments, all overruled (Dkt. 680)
- Release: no claims about AI outputs and no claims about conduct on or after August 25, 2025 (Dkt. 680)
- Fees: class counsel asked first for 20% and then 12.5% ($187.5M); the court awarded about 6.8% (~$101.56M), holding back 10% until a post-distribution accounting (Authors Guild)
- Background: in June 2025 Judge Alsup ruled that training Claude on books was fair use but that building a central library from pirated copies was not (Order on Fair Use, Dkt. 231); the settlement followed, with preliminary approval in Dkt. 437
- Not verified here: the Ninth Circuit appeals from the judgment (notices reported in August 2026; the docket page could not be fetched)

## What happened

The authors' class action against Anthropic ended with the court approving the settlement and entering judgment. The 23-page
order confirms the preliminary-approval findings, overrules every objection (some from Italian publishers such as Garzanti and
Salani), strikes objections from non-class members, and approves the claims and distribution plan run by JND. It cuts the fee
request sharply. Court documents unsealed in the same case in January 2026 describe "Project Panama", Anthropic's programme to
buy and scan print books (see the Nippan entry).

## Why it matters

It is the largest copyright class settlement on record and sets a price of about $3,000 per pirated book for AI training data,
while leaving untouched Judge Alsup's 2025 ruling that training on lawfully acquired books is fair use. Other rightsholders
(music publishers, opt-out authors) are suing Anthropic separately.

## Your AI and this story

- GPT-6 Astra (training cutoff April 2026): 81 days after its cutoff
- Claude Opus 5.5 (training cutoff June 2026): 20 days after its cutoff
- Gemini 4 Argon (training cutoff March 2026): 111 days after its cutoff
- Grok 4.7 (training cutoff May 2026): 50 days after its cutoff

## Sources

1. [Order granting final approval of the class settlement (Bartz v. Anthropic, Dkt. 680, July 20, 2026)](https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cand.434709/gov.uscourts.cand.434709.680.0_5.pdf) (storage.courtlistener.com, docs)
2. [Bartz v. Anthropic: Order on Fair Use, Judge William Alsup (June 23, 2025, Dkt. 231)](https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.cand.434709/gov.uscourts.cand.434709.231.0.pdf) (storage.courtlistener.com, docs)
3. [CourtListener docket: Bartz v. Anthropic PBC](https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69058235/bartz-v-anthropic-pbc/) (courtlistener.com, docs)
4. [Authors Guild: Court grants final approval of Anthropic copyright settlement](https://authorsguild.org/news/court-grants-final-approval-anthropic-copyright-settlement/) (authorsguild.org, press)

## Changes

- 2026-10-15 (filed): Created from order read on CourtListener; Authors Guild for fees

## Related

- 2026-10-07: [Japanese wholesaler Nippan confirms it sold books to Anthropic](https://postcutoff.com/e/2026-10-07-nippan-confirms-book-sales-to-anthropic-project-panama/index.md)
- 2026-09-29: [Third Circuit upholds Thomson Reuters' win over Ross Intelligence](https://postcutoff.com/e/2026-09-29-third-circuit-thomson-reuters-ross-fair-use/index.md)
- 2026-08-28: [Sony and Warner publishers sue Anthropic over torrented lyrics](https://postcutoff.com/e/2026-08-28-music-publishers-sue-anthropic-lyrics/index.md)
- 2026-08-17: [Round Hill Music sues Suno and Anthropic for up to $1B each over training on its songs](https://postcutoff.com/e/2026-08-17-round-hill-sues-suno-anthropic/index.md)