Top News

Court Questions Meta's Copyright Tool

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday questioned Meta's policy governing access to its copyright-management tool on Facebook and Instagram after a content creator alleged that the facility was being misused by unauthorised users to claim ownership over original videos.

Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani directed Meta to place on record its guidelines, eligibility criteria, and the basis on which applications for access to its Rights Manager tool are approved or rejected. The Court's questions came in a suit filed by Mohit Kumar, an artificial intelligence, e-commerce, and business coach who creates educational content.

Kumar alleged that individuals downloaded his original videos and subsequently used Meta's Rights Manager to claim copyright over the material. He told the Court that although he was the original creator, he could not himself use the same mechanism to protect his content because his applications for access to the tool had been rejected.

Creator Highlights Flaws and Consequences

Justice Bhambhani questioned the rationale behind restricting access to a facility meant to help creators protect their intellectual property. Kumar's counsel submitted that he had applied for access to the Rights Manager three times but was rejected without being given clear reasons.

The petitioner claimed that, in contrast, individuals with only a few hundred followers appeared to have obtained access to the facility, despite Kumar having substantial engagement and commercial collaborations. The Rights Manager tool enables eligible rights holders to identify matching content on Meta platforms and take measures such as monitoring or blocking material that allegedly uses their copyrighted work.

The petitioner argued that the alleged misuse of the system could have serious consequences for genuine creators. According to his case, fraudulent copyright strikes can lead to the removal of original content and potentially threaten years of work, monetisation, brand collaborations, and other business opportunities.

Meta's Response and Court's Directives

Meta, however, informed the Court that the copyright strikes against Kumar had been reversed and that content removed pursuant to those strikes had been reinstated. The company also stated that Kumar's accounts had never been suspended and remained accessible.

Meta further said that, subject to technical verification, Kumar's accounts would not be taken down on the basis of the disputed copyright strikes. On the issue of Rights Manager access, Meta's counsel said the company would examine Kumar's application after verifying his claims and agreed to place the relevant policy and eligibility criteria before the Court.

The Court also directed that any content removed pursuant to allegedly fraudulent copyright strikes should be restored if Kumar provides sufficient material establishing that the content belongs to him and that the disputed strikes were not genuine.

Broader Implications and Next Steps

The judge observed that the concerns raised in the case were not isolated and that similar issues involving digital creators had come before the Court. "There are some chinks in the armour; some loopholes have been noticed. We better sort it out," Justice Bhambhani observed, underlining the need to examine the safeguards surrounding Meta's copyright enforcement mechanism.

The Court thereafter issued summons in the suit and notice on Kumar's application seeking interim relief. The matter will be heard next on September 24 along with a connected petition filed by another content creator, Saurabh Maurya. Maurya has alleged that his Instagram account was suspended following a copyright strike that was subsequently found to be false. The connected proceedings will also examine issues concerning the authority of social media platforms to suspend user profiles on the basis of copyright infringement claims. (ANI)