Between December 2025 and early January 2026, the Textbook & Academic Authors Association conducted a survey seeking authors’ experiences filing claims in the landmark Bartz v. Anthropic settlement. The majority of respondents 87% (52) said they were educational/textbook authors, 23% (14) said they were university press/academic authors, 8% (5) said they were trade authors, and 3% (2) were unsure which author type they were.

While a majority of respondents to the survey said they had already filed claims (31 of 60), almost the same number of respondents said they had not (29 of 60).

Those who said they had not yet filed claims were asked to select from various reasons, including:

• “Yes, I just haven’t gotten around to it yet” 33% (10) selected this answer
• “Yes, but I’m not clear on how to complete the claim form” 27% (8) selected this answer
• “Yes, but my works have multiple co-authors, and I can’t reach them about filing” 33% (10) selected this answer
• “Yes, but I have multiple works on the list, and I haven’t found the time yet to actually get the claim form completed”
• “No, and I plan to object to the settlement”
• “No, I plan to just ignore it”
• “No, I plan to opt out”
• “I haven’t decided yet
• ”Other” Only one person selected this answer.

To “Other”, one respondent said they couldn’t find their access code to file a claim. If that is the reason you have not yet filed, you do not need to wait for that access code to file a claim. The code only helps in locating all of your works included in the settlement and auto-fills some information. You should still review and correct any information that is inaccurate before filing your claim(s).

Most respondents, 92% (44) said that their publisher had not contacted them about how to complete their claim form, but four said their publisher had. Of those four, three said their publisher had asked them to claim a specific percentage on their claim form and that they had done so. See this article about TAA’s Motion for Curative Correction Against Sage, which objected to the publisher sending such an email.

Eighty-five percent (41) of respondents said that TAA’s guidance on filing claims has been helpful.

Some comments shared in the survey:

“TAA’s communications in this matter have been outstanding. We would not have known about this case *at all* were it not for TAA. The videos have been simply wonderful. Thank you so very much.”

“TAA’s information has helped me keep up with the settlement. The webinars have provided more detailed information than is available from other sources. Without TAA’s reporting, I wouldn’t have even known about the settlement until I received the official notice on November 30.”

“I first found out that I was in the suit because of an email sent by you, so thank you!”

“TAA has been extremely helpful. I have multiple books and multiple coauthors. TAA especially helped us understand that we only needed one Unique ID and knowing about deadlines.”

“Very thankful for TAA’s effort to inform us and guide us through the process! It’s been extremely helpful and, if it weren’t for TAA, I probably wouldn’t have even known about the settlement.”

“TAA’s proactive help via webinars and online information has been invaluable in walking through the process. I am so grateful to TAA for once again watching out for me and my interests as a textbook author.”

“Had it not been for TAA, my coauthor and myself would have known *nothing* about this class action. We are so very grateful to TAA for its advocacy and vigilance in this matter.”

“Thank you for alerting me! I also alerted two friends whose names I found on the list, and who are not TAA members, and whose publishers hadn’t contacted them. They are both eligible for claims. I’m glad you could help me to help them!”

Several respondents posed questions about the claims filing process in an open-ended section at the end of the survey. Here are those questions, which TAA has provided answers to, where applicable.

Q – I am the author of a series of textbooks with ten editions of a comprehensive book and five editions of a somewhat lower level (and shorter) text. Eight of these books were on the Bartz vs AnthropicWorks page. When I entered my unique author number, the form was not populated when I opened it. I had to enter all information myself. For recent editions, the Author column of the Works page listed my name and the publisher’s name. For four earlier editions, the Works page listed only my name in the Author column. One column in the claims form asked if I am the sole owner of reproduction rights. I chose to say that if the Works page did not list the publisher in the Author column, that I am sole owner for reproduction rights. If the Works page did list the publisher in the Author column, then I chose to state that I am not sole owner of reproduction rights. In both cases, I only claimed that I am entitled to 50% of the settlement payout. Question for TAA: Should I have claimed that I am entitled to 100% of the settlement payout if the publisher was not listed in the author column of the Works sheet and therefore I am sole owner of reproduction rights? The latest edition included one coauthor, so I claimed that I am entitled to 25% of the settlement payout (and I expect the coauthor to be entitled to 25%).

A – Please contact the settlement administrator at (877) 206-2314 or info@AnthropicCopyrightSettlement.com and ask them this question.

Q – One of my books is on the look up list. I am and independent author publishing my books through my own company. Neither category seems correct for filing my claim.

A – If you are both the author and the publisher, then you claim 100% of the settlement funds.

Q – My publisher was purchased by another. The press the books was sold to has not contacted me and are promoting the books using the (very outdated and incorrect) author information I submitted when they were originally published (2006 & 2015) respectively. I am not sure how best to proceed. I would like to get all of the money, since the original publisher is now shuttered. But I don’t know who to ask about this or what steps I should take. Might you be able to recommend a few contacts about such murky situations?

A – Please contact the settlement administrator at (877) 206-2314 or info@AnthropicCopyrightSettlement.com.

Q – Only one of my 2 co-authors and I received post mailed correspondence and a vague email from our publisher with a phone number to call with questions. We don’t know why only the 2nd edition of our book was connected to the settlement?

A – Only works that were part of the database of infringed works were included in the settlement. This sometimes means that only certain editions of a book, and not others, show up in the database.

Q – How can we make a publisher reveal to the author the percentage split it is proposing. How can the author contest this if it is unfair?

A – You won’t be able to force the publisher to reveal that. You should claim the percentage you think you are entitled to, and if there is a disagreement on that between the author and the publisher, the settlement administrator will mediate that and if an agreement cannot be reached by them, then it will go to the Special Master for a determination.

Q – How should we 3 authors respond to publisher SAGE Pub. And/or settlement entity? What’s the process for submitting a claim! And the significance?

A – Sage should not be telling you what percentage to claim. See this article about TAA’s motion to intervene and request for curative communication regarding Sage’s December 2025 email to authors. You can submit a claim on the official settlement website, here. The significance is that you may be entitled to up to $3,000 in the settlement.

Q – It is still unclear what percentage my textbook publisher is entitled to take.

A – If you are not sure what percentage your textbook publisher is entitled to take, you can say “I don’t know” on the claim form.

Q – Who do I contact to have my access info re-sent to my email?

A – Please contact the settlement administrator at (877) 206-2314 or info@AnthropicCopyrightSettlement.com.

Q – Do I need to file a claim even though I send my list of applicable works to the Anthropic Copyright Settlement Administrator?

A – Reach out to the settlement administrator with this question to confirm: (877) 206-2314 or info@AnthropicCopyrightSettlement.com.

Q – I received my identification number after I had already submitted my claim and I’m now wondering whether I need to resubmit.

A – The Unique ID is not required to submit a claim. It was sent only to make the process easier for authors to submit claims.

Q – I don’t understand if it’s advisable to reach out to my publisher to see what percent they are claiming. I did contact my brand manager and she sent me back a generic statement from the publisher’s legal team saying they’re aware of the settlement and are working through the works list but there’s no indication of their specific plans. I don’t know if I should propose 100% or 50% or what. I’m thinking 100% isn’t realistic but so what, because a mediator will settle the matter if there are differences between author and publisher claims. Is that a smart strategy?

A – If you don’t know how much to claim, you can say, “I don’t know”. The settlement administrator and/or Special Master will look at what the publisher is claiming, and what you are claiming (even if it is “I don’t know”) and make a determination.

Q – I am not sure what to suggest for my allocation. Where do I look in my contract (i.e., which section?) for a reasonable number?

A – There is no section in the contract that will tell you the number for your allocation, unless the rights in the work have reverted back to you, which in that case means you claim 100%. If you are unsure how much to claim, you can say, “I don’t know.” The settlement administrator and/or Special Master will look at what the publisher is claiming, and what you are claiming (even if it is “I don’t know”) and make a determination.

Q – For one of my books, I have a coauthor. We are a 60/40 split. What happens?

A – You can use that as a basis to claim a higher percentage of the settlement funds. Decide how much the author team as a whole should claim, and then when you submit your claim, include a percentage equal to 60% of that.

Q – I listed a 50/50 on my claim. Is that what you recommend?

A – If you are unsure what to claim, you can claim 50% or say “I don’t know.” The settlement administrator and/or Special Master will look at what the publisher is claiming, and what you are claiming (even if it is “I don’t know”) and make a determination.

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For more information, see TAA’s guidance on filing claims.