- Delhi HC scrutinizes Meta's copyright management tool access.
- Court questions denial of tool access to genuine creators.
- Concerns raised over fraudulent copyright strikes on platforms.
Meta is once again under scrutiny, with the Delhi High Court on Wednesday directing the company to explain the criteria for granting users access to its copyright management tool, which enables creators to protect and manage their original content on Facebook and Instagram.
A bench of Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani was hearing a petition filed by content creator Mohit Kumar, who alleged that certain individuals had downloaded his content and used their access to Meta’s Rights Manager tool to claim copyright over his videos.
Kumar argued that he was unable to make similar claims because Meta had denied him access to the tool.
“Why does everybody not have access to it then? It is like giving the key to the robber and not to the owner of the house,” Justice Bhambhani remarked.
The petition was filed by Mohit Kumar, an Indian e-commerce and AI business coach who creates educational content on social media under the handle “Rise with Mohit”.
In his complaint, Kumar said he had applied for access to the tool three times, but his applications were rejected without any clear explanation. He alleged that individuals with only a few hundred followers, however, appeared to have obtained access to the tool.
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Kumar further submitted that fraudulent copyright strikes could result in a genuine creator’s account being taken down overnight, potentially wiping out years of work, monetisation, brand collaborations and business opportunities.
Meta’s counsel told the court that the fraudulent strikes issued against Kumar had been reversed and that the content removed pursuant to those strikes had been reinstated.
However, the court issued summons in Kumar’s suit and listed the matter for September 24.
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The court observed that similar issues had arisen in several cases involving content creators and therefore warranted closer scrutiny.
“There are some chinks in the armour, some loopholes have been noticed. We better sort it out,” the court remarked.
The court’s direction came days after it agreed to examine, on September 24, whether social media platforms can suspend or delete user accounts solely on the basis of copyright strikes.
The Delhi High Court has now asked Meta to explain why established content creators are denied access to its Rights Manager tool, while individuals allegedly misuse the system to issue fraudulent copyright strikes against original content.