D.C. Circuit upheld Pentagon's Claude exclusion over Anthropic's limits

A 2-1 panel ruled on September 25th that federal procurement law can cover Anthropic's ability to restrict Claude's functions, even when the company acts without malicious intent. Judge Karen Henderson dissented.

By · Published

Primary source: Bloomberg Technology

Why it matters

The ruling gives federal agencies room to treat a supplier's product restrictions as a procurement risk, raising the stakes for companies whose policies limit how government customers can use their technology.

Anthropic asks court to reconsider whether Claude's guardrails count as a security risk — The request follows a 2-1 D.C. Circuit ruling that upheld the Pentagon's exclusion of Claude from its supply chain under a federal procurement law.

Anthropic, led by co-founder and CEO Dario Amodei, lost a 2-1 challenge to the Pentagon's exclusion of Claude from its supply chain. In its September 25th ruling, the D.C. Circuit held that the Federal Acquisition Supply Chain Security Act can cover a supplier's ability to restrict a product's function or use, even when the supplier acts without malicious intent.…

Reader comments

Conversation for this story loads after sign-in.