Dutch writers, journalists and translators are organising action against Meta on Tuesday. The organisations are also preparing collective proceedings over the use of copyright-protected work to train AI models.
The gathering is scheduled for Tuesday 29 September at 10.00 am outside Facebook Nederland’s office on Jollemanhof in Amsterdam. The call comes from Stichting Lira, Auteursbond and the Nederlandse Vereniging van Journalisten. Creators can also show their support online through the Opstand campaign.
The organisations say that texts by freelance writers, journalists and translators have been used without permission or payment to train language models. That wording describes their legal and political position; the sources consulted contain no court ruling establishing all individual instances of use.
According to Lira, Auteursbond and NVJ, they previously formally demanded that Meta stop using the texts. The organisations say that step did not open the way for talks. They are therefore gathering support for collective proceedings and negotiations on a structural arrangement.
The demands centre on three points: payment for the use of work, creators’ say over the conditions and greater transparency about the sources used to train AI models. The debate is therefore not only about Meta, but also about which rules apply when protected content becomes part of large datasets.
Meta develops the Llama language model, among other products, and operates Facebook and other platforms. The campaign is aimed at Facebook’s Dutch office, while the possible proceedings concern the policy of an international technology company. The precise legal route and the question of which creators can act on whose behalf still need to be worked out.
The action is taking place in a sector where income from texts is already under pressure from falling advertising revenues, dependence on platforms and automation. At the same time, technology companies generally point to the importance of large datasets for innovation. The forthcoming proceedings could provide clarity on permission, exceptions in copyright law and collective licensing.