Matthew Finkelstein

Anthropic PBC entered into a proposed class-wide settlement that would resolve Bartz et al. v. Anthropic PBC, No. 3:24-cv-05417 (N.D. Cal.), a high-profile copyright infringement action challenging the company’s use of millions of books to train its Claude large language models. However, on September 8, Judge William Haskell Alsup denied preliminary approval of the settlement without prejudice, requesting additional information and a revised notice and claims protocol.

In one of the first substantive decisions analyzing whether the use of copyrighted works to train large language models (LLMs) for generative artificial intelligence (AI) services is infringing or a fair use, Judge William Alsup issued a split decision in his summary judgment order. See Bartz et al. v. Anthropic PBC, No. 3:24-cv-05417 (N.D. Cal. Aug 19, 2024).

In its ruling in the case Cyril E. Vetter, Et Al. v. Robert Resnik, No. 23-1369-SDD-EWD (M.D. La. Jan. 29, 2025), the US District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana ruled that the US songwriter-plaintiff Vetter recaptured worldwide rights — not just US rights — by exercising his termination rights under Section 304 of the Copyright Act of 1976 (US Copyright Law). The musical work at issue is “Double Shot (Of My Baby’s Love),” a work that Vetter co-authored in the United States.