Copyright Alliance CEO Issues Statement on ‘Bartz v. Anthropic’ Case Settlement

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Eileen Bramlet ebramlet@copyrightalliance.org

Washington, DC—The Copyright Alliance, which represents the copyright interests of over two million individual creators and more than 15,000 organizations across the spectrum of copyright disciplines, released a statement regarding the September 5 announcement of the Bartz v. Anthropic AI copyright case settlement details.

According to Copyright Alliance CEO Keith Kupferschmid, “The settlement in the Bartz v. Anthropic case is a significant victory not only for book publishers and authors but for all copyright owners whose works are pirated and then used by AI companies for training or other purposes.

“The proposed settlement, which amounts to at least $1.5 billion, is one of the largest in the history of copyright. As such, the settlement is a thunderclap for AI companies and anyone else attempting to copy and use pirated works from illicit sources for AI training or other uses. The settlement confirms that AI companies that are responsible and ethical should not be copying pirated works from illicit sources and any company that does so will be subject to serious consequences.

“Because, like Anthropic, many other AI companies have also been using these so-called shadow libraries and other illicit sources to access and use pirated works for training their AI systems, the outcome of this case is likely not unique and will apply in many other cases and to many other AI companies.

“To be clear, the settlement doesn’t spell the end for Anthropic or any other AI company. While the settlement amount is very significant and represents a clear victory for the publishers and authors in the class, it also proves what we have been saying all along—that AI companies can afford to compensate copyright owners for their works without it undermining their ability to continue to innovate and compete.”

Additional views regarding the settlement can be read here in a new NPR article.

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ABOUT THE COPYRIGHT ALLIANCE

The Copyright Alliance is a non-profit, non-partisan public interest and educational organization representing the copyright interests of over two million individual creators and over 15,000 organizations in the United States, across the spectrum of copyright disciplines. The Copyright Alliance is dedicated to advocating policies that promote and preserve the value of copyright, and to protecting the rights of creators and innovators. For more information, please visit our website.