Delhi HC questions Meta's copyright policy amid dispute
What's the story
The Delhi High Court has questioned Meta's policy for granting access to its copyright-protection tool on Facebook and Instagram. The court's intervention came after a content creator alleged that unauthorized users were exploiting this tool to falsely claim ownership of original videos. Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani asked Meta to provide details about its Rights Manager policy, including eligibility requirements and the criteria used for assessing access requests.
Allegations
Kumar alleges misuse of Rights Manager by unauthorized users
The court's remarks came during a hearing of a lawsuit filed by Mohit Kumar, an AI, e-commerce, and business coach who creates educational content.
Kumar alleged that some people downloaded his original videos and then exploited Meta's Rights Manager to falsely claim copyright ownership over the content.
He told the court that despite being the original creator, he couldn't use this mechanism to protect his content as his applications for access had been rejected.
Court inquiry
Why is access limited to content creators? HC asks
Justice Bhambhani also questioned why access was being limited to a tool specifically designed for content creators to safeguard their intellectual property.
Kumar's counsel claimed he had applied for access three times but was rejected without clear reasons.
The petitioner argued that individuals with only a few hundred followers seemed to have gained access, despite his substantial engagement and commercial collaborations.
Tool implications
Petitioner warns of dire consequences for genuine creators
The Rights Manager tool allows eligible rights holders to identify matching content on Meta platforms and take measures like monitoring or blocking material that allegedly uses their copyrighted work.
The petitioner argued that the alleged misuse of this system could have dire consequences for genuine creators.
He claimed fraudulent copyright strikes can lead to the removal of original content, potentially threatening years of work, monetization, brand collaborations, and other business opportunities.
Company response
Copyright strikes against Kumar reversed, says Meta
In response to the court's inquiries, Meta claimed that the copyright strikes against Kumar had been reversed and content removed under those strikes had been restored.
The company also said that Kumar's accounts were never suspended and remained accessible.
On the issue of Rights Manager access, Meta's counsel said they would review Kumar's application after verifying his claims and agreed to present the relevant policy and eligibility criteria before the court.
Interim relief
'Sort it out,' HC tells Meta on copyright enforcement mechanism
The court also directed that any content removed due to allegedly fraudulent copyright strikes should be restored if Kumar provides sufficient material establishing the content belongs to him.
Justice Bhambhani observed that the concerns raised in this case are not isolated and similar issues involving digital creators have come before the court.
"There are some chinks in the armor; some loopholes have been noticed. We better sort it out," he said, stressing on examining safeguards surrounding Meta's copyright enforcement mechanism.