Delhi High Court Seeks Meta's Access Policy for Copyright Tool
The Delhi High Court has ordered Meta to clarify the criteria for accessing its copyright management tool. A content creator's petition highlighted issues with unauthorized copyright claims and account takedowns.
Key takeaways
- The Delhi High Court is investigating Meta's policy for granting access to its copyright management tool.
- A content creator's complaint alleged misuse of the tool by others to claim copyright over his work.
- The court noted potential loopholes in the system and scheduled further hearings.
- This case is linked to a broader examination of platform actions based on copyright strikes.
The Delhi High Court has directed Meta to explain the criteria used to grant access to its copyright management tool, which is designed to help users protect and manage original content on Facebook and Instagram. The court’s order came during the hearing of a petition filed by content creator Mohit Kumar.
What Happened
Mohit Kumar, an Indian e-commerce and AI business coach who creates educational content on social media, petitioned the court alleging that some individuals downloaded his content and then used their access to Meta's Rights Tool to falsely claim copyright over his videos. Kumar stated that he himself had been denied access to the tool. Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani, presiding over the bench, questioned Meta's access policy, remarking that it appeared to grant access to "robbers" rather than the content owners.
Kumar reported that his applications for access to the tool were rejected three times without clear explanations. He also noted that individuals with significantly smaller followings appeared to have been granted access. Kumar argued that such fraudulent copyright strikes could lead to the suspension or deletion of genuine creators' accounts, resulting in the loss of years of work, monetization, brand collaborations, and business opportunities.
Meta's legal representative informed the court that the fraudulent strikes against Kumar had been reversed and the content removed was reinstated. However, the court issued summons in Kumar's lawsuit and scheduled the next hearing for September 24. The court recognized that this issue affects multiple content creators and requires thorough examination, with Justice Bhambhani noting potential "loopholes" that need to be addressed.
This development follows closely on the heels of the court agreeing to examine on September 24 whether social media platforms can suspend or delete user accounts based solely on copyright strikes. The same judge is handling a separate petition from content creator Saurabh Maurya, whose Instagram account was suspended due to a copyright strike later found to be false.
Key Facts
- The Delhi High Court has asked Meta to explain its access policy for its copyright management tool.
- The directive was made during a hearing of a petition filed by content creator Mohit Kumar.
- Kumar alleged that unauthorized users claimed copyright over his content using the tool.
- Kumar stated his own applications for access to the tool were rejected without clear reasons.
- Meta's counsel confirmed fraudulent strikes against Kumar were reversed and content reinstated.
- The court issued summons and scheduled the next hearing for September 24.
- The court is also separately considering whether platforms can suspend accounts solely on copyright strikes.
Sources reviewed
Project Chintan independently synthesized and analyzed information cross-checked across the sources listed above.
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