The Anthropic Class Action moved forward this week as attorneys for authors and publishers asked the court for $300 million in legal fees. They filed the request on December 3, 2025, in the U.S. District Court in San Francisco. The firms say the amount reflects 20% of the $1.5 billion settlement fund.
Background: Why the Anthropic Class Action Matters
The case focuses on claims that Anthropic trained its AI models on vast numbers of pirated or unlicensed books. Authors allege the company used their copyrighted works without permission. This dispute produced the largest disclosed copyright class-action settlement in U.S. history.
Each class member may receive more than $3,000 for every copyrighted work included in the case.
As part of the deal, Anthropic agreed to delete the disputed datasets. It also promised to keep those works out of its commercial AI products, including the Claude model.
What Class Counsel Wants and Why
Class counsel says the $300 million request is reasonable. Lawyers from Susman Godfrey LLP and Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein LLP argue that the scale and risk of the case justify the amount.
They report spending more than 26,000 hours on the litigation. Their work included reviewing massive data sets, handling discovery, negotiating the settlement, and coordinating with many parties. They described the case as “teeming with risk.”
The filing also asks for $1.97 million to reimburse litigation expenses and a $17 million reserve for future costs. Class counsel is requesting a $50,000 service award for each of the three named plaintiffs.
Approval, Objections, and Opt-Outs
Judge William Alsup will decide whether to approve the fee request. He will also review any objections to the settlement at a fairness hearing in April 2026.
Authors who want to bring their own claims instead of remaining in the class action must opt out by January 15, 2026.
Anthropic continues to deny wrongdoing. The company agreed to the settlement terms but preserved its right to oppose the size of the fee request. Anthropic has not yet commented. The attorneys also declined to issue public statements.
Why the Anthropic Class Action Matters for the Future
The Anthropic Class Action carries significant implications for the future of AI and copyright law. It signals that courts may hold AI companies accountable when they use copyrighted works without permission.
The payout of more than $3,000 per work could influence upcoming cases. Plaintiffs in future copyright disputes may cite this settlement as a benchmark. The fee request, if approved, may also shape expectations in other large AI-related class actions.
Some critics may argue that a 20% fee takes too large a share of the fund. Others may say that the legal risk and effort justify the amount. The fairness hearing will likely attract strong opinions from all sides.
What Comes Next
Judge Alsup will review the settlement and fee request in April 2026.
Class members must choose whether to remain in the settlement or opt out by January 15, 2026.
If the court approves the settlement and fee award, the case could set guidance for future disputes involving AI training and copyrighted works.
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