Court OKs $1.5B Anthropic copyright settlement as opt-outs stay tiny

A federal judge approved a $1.5 billion class-action settlement between Anthropic and authors over AI training on books, with about 95% of the class notified and 91% filing claims; only 350 opted out (plus a few late objections denied). Lawyers’ fees were cut to roughly 12.5%, lead plaintiffs’ awards reduced, and payouts average around $3,000 per work—four times minimum statutory damages—effectively ending the dispute while preserving potential future action if misuse is found.