Judge Araceli Martinez-Olguin – Chat GPT Is Eating the World

Judge Martinez-Olguin pushes back Final Approval of Settlement Hearing to May 14, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. Will allow timely class member objectors to appear via Zoom.

In Bartz v. Anthropic, Judge Martinez-Olguin moved the date of the hearing to consider the Class Counsel’s motion for final approval of the settlement and of the motion for attorneys’ fees to May 14, 2026, 2 PM. (The original date was April 23.) The change was to accommodate objections from class members that had not…
Read more: Judge Martinez-Olguin pushes back Final Approval of Settlement Hearing to May 14, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. Will allow timely class member objectors to appear via Zoom.
Bartz Class Settlement payout per work may increase above $3K per work. My current calculation = $4,800 plus per work, but subject to change.

I finally had the time to review the Bartz Class Counsel’s proposed order to its motion for final approval of the settlement and the motion for attorneys’ fees. The formula under the settlement for pro rata payouts per works claimed is as follows: In the Bartz Class Counsel’s proposed order above, we can find the…
Read more: Bartz Class Settlement payout per work may increase above $3K per work. My current calculation = $4,800 plus per work, but subject to change.
Bartz Class Counsel cut attorneys’ fee request to 12.5% (down from 20%) = $187.5M

Bartz Class Counsel also filed their reply to Anthropic’s response and the relatively few objections some class members filed to the motion for attorneys’ fees. Due to concerns Judge Alsup (before he retired) had raised, the Class Counsel has reduced its request from 20% to 12.5%. If I’ve done the math correctly, that equals $187.5…
Read more: Bartz Class Counsel cut attorneys’ fee request to 12.5% (down from 20%) = $187.5M
Bartz Class Counsel tout impressive 54% participation rate for works in class, way up from 12% in Oct. 2025. Less than 0.5% opted out.

Wow. The Bartz Class Counsel just filed their Motion for Final Approval of Settlement. The numbers are impressive. According to Class Counsel: These percentages are based on works in the class, not based on claimants. But the participation rate is very impressive. In fact, because one person could own copyrights to several works or more,…
Read more: Bartz Class Counsel tout impressive 54% participation rate for works in class, way up from 12% in Oct. 2025. Less than 0.5% opted out.
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.
Judge Martínez-Olguín will allow extension to opt out in Bartz v. Anthropic in order to give notice to class

Judge Martínez-Olguín has quickly disposed of pending motions in the Bartz v. Anthropic case since it was reassigned to her following Judge Alsup’s retirement. The Judge has asked the parties to work out an additional extension for people to opt out of and to file objections to the $1.5 billion class settlement. The last extension…
Read more: Judge Martínez-Olguín will allow extension to opt out in Bartz v. Anthropic in order to give notice to class
Bartz, Anthropic file case statement with Judge Martínez-Olguín. Seeks resetting April 23 for final approval hearing of class settlement.

The parties in Bartz v. Anthropic have filed a case management statement. It provides a nice summary of the case. It asks Judge Martínez-Olguín to reset the original date for the final approval hearing for April 23, at 12 PM. The date was removed from the calendar after Judge Alsup, who had presided over the…
Read more: Bartz, Anthropic file case statement with Judge Martínez-Olguín. Seeks resetting April 23 for final approval hearing of class settlement.
Judge Martinez-Olguin rules on sealing motions, allowing some and denying others

In Bartz v. Anthropic, Judge Martinez-Olguin issued an order granting and denying various requests of parties to seal (1) the Works List (granted for now), (2) Settlement Agreement (granted), and (3) briefs (some granted, some denied). DOWNLOAD THE ORDER
Read more: Judge Martinez-Olguin rules on sealing motions, allowing some and denying others
Judge Martinez-Olguin sets conference for Jan. 22, 11 AM PST in Bartz v. Anthropic

As requested by the Bartz Class Counsel, Judge Martinez-Olguin has scheduled an Initial Case Management Conference set for Jan. 22, 2026 at 11:00 AM in San Francisco, Courtroom 10, 19th Floor. A case management statement from the parties is due by Jan. 15, noon.
Read more: Judge Martinez-Olguin sets conference for Jan. 22, 11 AM PST in Bartz v. Anthropic
Bartz Class Counsel & Authors Guild host webinar on Jan. 13 re: class settlement

The Bartz Class Counsel and Authors Guild will host a Zoom webinar about the class settlement on Jan. 13, 2 PM EDT. Judge Martínez-Olguín, who took over the case following Judge Alsup’s retirement, granted the parties’ request for a 2-week extension of the deadline for class members to opt out of or object to the…
Read more: Bartz Class Counsel & Authors Guild host webinar on Jan. 13 re: class settlement

Category: Judge Araceli Martinez-Olguin