You might have three grand per book title sitting in a settlement fund right now, and the deadline to claim it is March 30, 2026.
If you published a book with an ISBN or ASIN before August 2022, there’s a reasonable chance it was used to train Anthropic’s Claude AI. If it was, you’re eligible for a payout from the largest AI copyright settlement to date. If you haven’t checked yet, do it now.
What Happened
Anthropic downloaded roughly 500,000 copyrighted books from pirate library sites (LibGen and PiLiMi) to train Claude. Half a million books. Authors sued. Anthropic settled for $1.5 billion, which works out to about $3,000 per title before legal fees. That number may go up depending on how many valid claims get filed and how much interest the fund earns.
The settlement (Bartz v. Anthropic) received preliminary court approval, and the final approval hearing is scheduled for April 23, 2026. Payments should start rolling out in June 2026.
How to Check If Your Books Are Included
Go to anthropiccopyrightsettlement.com and use the Works List Lookup tool. You can search by author name or ISBN/ASIN. If your book shows up, you’re eligible to file.
You may have already received a notice by mail or email with a Unique ID. If you didn’t get one but your book is on the list, you can still file without it.
What You Need to File
Before you start the claim form, make sure you have this stuff ready.
- Your U.S. Copyright Office registration number and ISBN or ASIN for each work
- Your publisher’s contact information (if traditionally published)
- Your publishing contract, if you’re claiming a payment split other than the default 50/50 between author and publisher
- Payment details (bank account for ACH/Zelle, or a mailing address for a check)
If you’re self-published or your rights have reverted, you get 100% of the award. When the form asks if you’re the sole legal owner, select yes.
For traditionally published books, the default split is 50/50 between author and publisher. If your contract says otherwise, you can claim a different split, but you’ll need the documentation to prove it.
Don’t Skip the Rightsholders Section
The form asks you to identify other rightsholders (co-authors, publishers). If you skip this or get it wrong, your claim may be denied. Fill it out completely.
Go File Your Claim
- Visit anthropiccopyrightsettlement.com and search for your books
- If they’re listed, complete the online claim form before March 30, 2026
- If you need help, call the Settlement Administrator at 877-206-2314
Nobody is going to file this for you. And the deadline isn’t moving.