Anthropic asks judge to slash legal fees in $1.5 billion settlement
Anthropic is challenging a $300 million legal fee request, arguing a significant portion is unjustified in the $1.5 billion copyright settlement.Summary
Anthropic is seeking a reduction in the proposed $300 million legal fee award for attorneys representing authors in a $1.5 billion copyright class action settlement. The company argues that $75 million requested by three law firms – Edelson, Oppenheim + Zebrak, and Cowan DeBaets Abrahams & Sheppard – is disproportionate to their involvement, especially compared to the lead attorneys from Susman Godfrey and Lieff Cabraser who are seeking $225 million. Anthropic contends that a 20% cut of the settlement fund for legal fees could be an excessive “windfall.” The settlement resolves claims that Anthropic trained its AI models on copyrighted material, and includes an agreement to destroy pirated datasets and ensure they are not used in commercial models like Claude. Attorneys from Edelson and Oppenheim + Zebrak defended their roles in negotiating the settlement, while Anthropic’s general counsel expressed disappointment with the company’s filing. A hearing is scheduled in April before U.S. District Judge William Alsup to determine the fairness of the settlement and address objections.
(Source：Reuters)