Artificial intelligence startup Anthropic has recently reached a settlement with a group of American authors, resolving legal disputes over copyright infringement. The controversy stemmed from a lawsuit filed by authors Andrea Bartz, Charles Graeber, and Kirk Wallace Johnson last year, who accused Anthropic of using open-source datasets containing a large number of pirated works in training its Claude AI model.
According to legal documents submitted by Anthropic on Tuesday, the company has reached a "proposed class settlement" with the plaintiffs. This means that Anthropic will avoid going to trial, which could have potentially resulted in fines of tens of billions or even over $1 trillion. Although the specific terms of the settlement have not been disclosed, this agreement undoubtedly provides Anthropic with some relief.
Last year, the key issue in the case was whether it is legal to use purchased books to train AI models. Judge William Alsup ruled that this practice fell under fair use and gave Anthropic an initial victory. However, he also left room for further litigation, indicating that the matter was not entirely resolved. In July of this year, Judge Alsup approved the authors' class-action lawsuit, accusing Anthropic of downloading millions of works "in the style of Napster," violating copyright law.
In a statement, plaintiff's attorney Justin Nelson said, "This historic settlement will benefit all class members. We look forward to announcing the details of the settlement in the coming weeks." Anthropic has not yet made further comments on the matter. The settlement is expected to be finalized on September 3, bringing some peace of mind to many authors.
This settlement marks an important step for the artificial intelligence industry in addressing copyright issues. How to balance technological advancement with copyright protection remains a topic worth watching. As AI technology continues to evolve, ensuring the rights of creators will become an increasingly important discussion point.
