Why does everyone not have access? Delhi High Court questions Meta over copyright tool

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday asked Meta to explain the criteria it uses to grant access to its copyright management tool, which allows users to protect and manage their original content on Facebook and Instagram.

The court was hearing a petition filed by content creator Mohit Kumar, who alleged that some individuals downloaded his videos and later used their access to Meta's Rights Tool to claim copyright over the same content.

Creator questions access to Meta tool

Kumar, who creates educational content on social media under the handle “Rise with Mohit”, told the court that he had applied for access to the copyright management tool three times, but his requests were rejected without clear reasons.

He argued that he could not file copyright claims against those using his content because Meta had not granted him access to the tool. Kumar also claimed that some individuals with only a few hundred followers appeared to have access to it.

Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani questioned Meta's policy during the hearing.

“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,” the judge remarked.

Copyright strikes under scrutiny

Kumar also raised concerns about fraudulent copyright strikes, saying such claims could result in a genuine creator's account being taken down and cause the loss of years of work, monetisation, brand collaborations and business opportunities.

Meta's counsel told the court that the fraudulent copyright strikes issued against Kumar had been reversed and that the content removed following those strikes had been restored.

The court, however, issued summons in Kumar's suit and listed the matter for September 24.

The bench observed that the issue was not limited to Kumar's case and had come up in several matters involving content creators.

“There are some chinks in the armour, some loopholes have been noticed. We better sort it out,” the court said.

Court to examine account suspension

The latest proceedings come days after the same court agreed to examine whether social media platforms can suspend or delete user accounts solely on the basis of copyright strikes.

That issue is being considered in a petition filed by content creator Saurabh Maurya, whose Instagram account was suspended following a copyright strike that was later found to be false.

The court's proceedings could therefore examine both access to copyright protection tools and the consequences of potentially fraudulent copyright claims on social media creators.