What Anthropic’s big payout means for AI and copyright
Sep 11, 2025•19 min
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Summary
This episode delves into Anthropic's $1.5 billion settlement for using pirated books to train its AI, examining its implications for ongoing copyright battles. Keith Kupferschmid of the Copyright Alliance discusses how the case highlights AI companies' accountability and ability to pay, while also noting that specific rulings on fair use remain contentious. The conversation explores the long road ahead, the potential for more lawsuits, and the strong argument for licensing agreements over litigation.Episode description
Anthropic agreed to pay $1.5 billion to authors whose pirated books the company used to train its AI model, an eye-popping amount and one of the first big settlements of its kind. With so many copyright cases hanging out in the courts, could this be the first of many big payouts to come? On POLITICO Tech, host Steven Overly put that question and others to Keith Kupferschmid, the CEO of the Copyright Alliance.
Steven Overly is the host of POLITICO Tech and covers the intersection of politics and technology.
Nirmal Mulaikal is the co-host and producer of POLITICO Energy and producer of POLITICO Tech.
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