Judge Alsup – Chat GPT Is Eating the World

Shadow Library Strategy strikes again: Concord Music & music publishers file 2d music suit v. Anthropic seeking more than $3 billion. Copyright lawsuit No. 76 v. AI cos.

As news of Anthropic’s latest $10 billion funding round broke, with the company valued at $350 billion, Concord Music and a slew of other music publishers were finalizing their copyright lawsuit against Anthropic. In a statement to Billboard, the plaintiffs say they are seeking more than $3 billion from Anthropic. The complaint copies the Shadow…
Read more: Shadow Library Strategy strikes again: Concord Music & music publishers file 2d music suit v. Anthropic seeking more than $3 billion. Copyright lawsuit No. 76 v. AI cos.
As Judge Alsup retires, Bartz v. Anthropic reassigned to Judge Martínez-Olguín

As Judge William Alsup is retiring at the end of 2025, the Bartz v. Anthropic class action lawsuit was just reassigned to Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín, who was presiding over the In re OpenAI ChatGPT Litigation filed by book authors (Paul Tremblay, Sarah Silverman, and Michael Chabon) before its transfer to the MDL Litigation before Judge…
Read more: As Judge Alsup retires, Bartz v. Anthropic reassigned to Judge Martínez-Olguín
In one of final orders, Judge Alsup rebukes Bartz Class Counsel for seeking attorneys’ fees for 3 law firms beyond the 2 firms appointed Class Counsel

In one of his final orders before his retirement from the bench in a few days, Judge William Alsup issued a strong rebuke of the Bartz Class Counsel’s motion for attorneys’ fees beyond the 2 firms appointed class counsel, Susman Godfrey LLP and Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein LLP. The motion for attorneys’ fees will…
Read more: In one of final orders, Judge Alsup rebukes Bartz Class Counsel for seeking attorneys’ fees for 3 law firms beyond the 2 firms appointed Class Counsel
Textbook and Academic Authors Association files motion to intervene in Bartz v. Anthropic over controversy re: Sage Publishing email

The Textbook and Academic Authors Association (TAAA) filed a motion to intervene in the Bartz v. Antropic class action and the court’s order of a curative communication related to an email to class authors by Sage Publishing that TAAA contends was inaccurate. Excerpt: DOWNLOAD TAAA’S MOTION TO INTERVENE
Read more: Textbook and Academic Authors Association files motion to intervene in Bartz v. Anthropic over controversy re: Sage Publishing email
Anthropic objects to attorneys’ fees for Non-Class Counsel. Suggests lodestar method may be better than % for Class Counsel.

Interesting filing by Anthropic contesting the Plaintiffs’ motion for attorneys’ fees. The main dispute is that Anthropic argues that the “extraordinary” amount sought for Non-Class Counsel who helped in the litigation is not warranted. Without taking a position on the precise fee award, Anthropic also suggests that the award sought by Class Counsel would be…
Read more: Anthropic objects to attorneys’ fees for Non-Class Counsel. Suggests lodestar method may be better than % for Class Counsel.
Judge Alsup issues order to Dundurn Press and Attorney Kerry Culpepper: “they are not permitted to remain in the class yet seek a sweeter deal than other class members.”

Judge Alsup issued an order re Letter from Attorney Culpepper, who represents Dundurn Press from Canada. For a recap of Dundurn’s counsel’s letter to Anthropic, visit: Judge Alsup issued the following order: “The undersigned judge has read the letter written by Attorney Kerry Culpepper to Anthropic dated December 9, 2025. The clients of Attorney Culpepper…
Read more: Judge Alsup issues order to Dundurn Press and Attorney Kerry Culpepper: “they are not permitted to remain in the class yet seek a sweeter deal than other class members.”
Bartz Class Counsel file motion for attorneys fees asking for 20% of nonreversionary class funds, or $300M plus $2M in costs

Bartz Class Counsel filed their motion for attorneys’ fees. The hearing is not until April 23, 2026 and will be before a different judge if Judge Alsup retires at the end of this year as he suggested. Class Counsel are seeking “20% of the non-reversionary Settlement Fund, consisting of $1.5 billion plus interest paid by…
Read more: Bartz Class Counsel file motion for attorneys fees asking for 20% of nonreversionary class funds, or $300M plus $2M in costs
Has Magistrate Judge Wang overread the Bartz v. Anthropic fair use decision in her recent decision on OpenAI’s waiver of attorney-client privilege?

In today’s controversial decision by Magistrate Judge Wang finding that OpenAI waived its attorney-client privilege as to communications on why it deleted Books1 and Books2 datasets (which was used to train earlier OpenAI models, according to an OpenAI paper at p. 9), Magistrate Judge Wang rejected one of OpenAI’s arguments based on Bartz v. Anthropic.…
Read more: Has Magistrate Judge Wang overread the Bartz v. Anthropic fair use decision in her recent decision on OpenAI’s waiver of attorney-client privilege?
Bartz Class Counsel revamps class website to comply with Judge Alsup’s Third Order

After a scathing rebuke from Judge Alsup about the slanted nature of the Bartz v. Anthropic Class Settlement website, the Bartz Class Counsel has now made the necessary revisions required by Judge Alsup’s Third Order. Judge Alsup had found the prior class website did not give “equal dignity” to a class member’s right to opt…
Read more: Bartz Class Counsel revamps class website to comply with Judge Alsup’s Third Order
Bartz Class Settlement website goes dark temporarily, by court order due to steering away from opt outs

The Bartz Class Counsel has temporarily taken down the class settlement website to comply with Judge Alsup’s late evening order. They have until Tuesday, Nov. 25, 7:30 AM to fix the website and forms to comply with Judge Alsup’s order. For more on the Judge’s order, visit: Obviously, this is a major setback for the…
Read more: Bartz Class Settlement website goes dark temporarily, by court order due to steering away from opt outs

Category: Judge Alsup