A federal judge in San Francisco has expressed serious reservations about a proposed $1.5 billion settlement between AI company Anthropic and authors who allege their copyrighted works were illegally used to train Anthropic's Claude chatbot. The settlement, designed to avoid a trial scheduled for December, now hangs precariously in the balance after Judge William Alsup voiced significant concerns about its fairness and transparency.
Alsup spent nearly an hour scrutinizing the agreement, highlighting potential pitfalls and questioning the accuracy of the claimed number of pirated books – approximately 465,000. He expressed deep skepticism about the claims process, demanding stronger guarantees that all eligible authors are informed and fairly compensated, ensuring they don’t “get the shaft,” as he put it. To address this, he mandated a firm “drop-dead list” of pirated books by September 15th and a revised claims form by September 22nd, before a crucial September 25th review hearing.
The judge's concerns extend beyond the claims process. He voiced suspicion about the roles of the Authors Guild and the Association of American Publishers, fearing their involvement might unduly influence authors into accepting the settlement without full comprehension. While representatives from both organizations attended the hearing, they remained silent. Similarly, the three authors who initiated the class-action lawsuit – thriller novelist Andrea Bartz and nonfiction writers Charles Graeber and Kirk Wallace Johnson – were present but did not address the court. Johnson, however, emphasized the significance of the case, viewing the settlement as a crucial first step in protecting authors' rights in the face of AI development.
Despite assurances from the authors' attorney, Justin Nelson, that the widespread media coverage would ensure widespread awareness of the settlement, Alsup remained unconvinced. He highlighted his unease about potential unseen influences affecting the settlement’s process, suggesting the possibility of the case proceeding to trial. The judge’s cautious approach underscores the gravity of the legal issues involved and the potential impact on the future of AI development and copyright protection. The upcoming September 25th hearing will determine the fate of the settlement and the future of this landmark case.
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Originally published at: https://apnews.com/article/anthropic-authors-book-settlement-ai-copyright-claude-b282fe615338bf1f98ad97cb82e978a1
