Anthropic Copyright Lawsuit Tests Fair Use Limits in AI Model Training

Case Number: C 24-05417 WHA

Plaintiffs: ANDREA BARTZ, CHARLES GRAEBER, and KIRK WALLACE JOHNSON

Defendant: ANTHROPIC PBC

Filing Date: June 23, 2025.

Location: UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA

Table of Links

• Introduction
• Statement
  • Statement Cont’d
• Analysis
  • 1. The purpose and character of the use.
    • A. Copies used to train specific LLMs.
    • B. The copies used to build a central library.
      • (i)The purchased library copies converted from print to digital.
      • (ii) The pirated library copies.
  • 2. The nature of the copyrighted work.
  • 3. The amount and substantiality of the portion used.
    • A. The copies used to train specific LLMs.
    • B. The copies used to build a central library.
      • (i) The Purchased Library Copies Converted from Print to Digital
      • (ii) The Pirated Library Copies
  • 4. The effect of the use upon the market for or value of the copyrighted work
    • The copies used to train specific LLMs
    • The copies used to build a central library
      • (i) The Purchased Library Copies Converted from Print to Digital
      • (ii) The Pirated Library Copies
  • 5. Overall
  • Conclusion

INTRODUCTION

An artificial intelligence firm downloaded for free millions of copyrighted books in digital form from pirate sites on the internet. The firm also purchased copyrighted books (some overlapping with those acquired from the pirate sites), tore off the bindings, scanned every page, and stored them in digitized, searchable files. All the foregoing was done to amass a central library of “all the books in the world” to retain “forever.” From this central library, the AI firm selected various sets and subsets of digitized books to train various large language models under development to power its AI services. Some of these books were written by plaintiff authors, who now sue for copyright infringement. On summary judgment, the issue is the extent to which any of the uses of the works in question qualify as “fair uses” under Section 107 of the Copyright Act.