Copyright group takes down Dutch language AI dataset

AMSTERDAM, Aug 13 (Reuters) - Dutch-based copyright enforcement group BREIN has taken down a large language dataset that was being offered for use in training AI models, the organization said on Tuesday.

The dataset included information collected without permission from tens of thousands of books, news sites, and Dutch language subtitles harvested from "countless" films and TV series, BREIN said in a statement.

Director Bastiaan van Ramshorst told Reuters it was not clear whether or how widely the dataset may already have been used by AI companies.

"It's very difficult to know, but we are trying to be on time" to avoid future lawsuits, he said.

He said the European Union's AI Act will require AI firms to disclose what datasets they have used to train their models.

In the U.S., Microsoft-backed OpenAI has been hit with several lawsuits including one by the New York Times (NYT.N) for allegedly using copyright material to train its models without permission.

In Denmark, a copyright protection group called Danish Rights Alliance forced the take-down of a huge dataset known as "Books3" last year.

The person who had been offering the Dutch dataset agreed to the terms of a cease and desist order and removed it from a website where it was available for download, BREIN said. The organization did not disclose the person's identity, citing Dutch privacy rules.