Why Can Scammers Access Meta's Copyright Strike Tool While Creators Are Denied? Delhi High Court Asks

The Delhi High Court has asked Meta to place on record its policy, guidelines, and eligibility criteria for access to its "Rights Manager" tool, questioning why the anti-plagiarism tool is not available to content creators with large followings while scammers appear to be getting access to it.Rights Manager is a Meta tool that allows content creators and rights holders to identify when their original content is copied or uploaded by another person and take action against the matching...

Delhi High Court Issues Notice On YouTuber's Plea Challenging Meta's Copyright Strike Mechanism

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday issued notice on an application by stock market trading content creator Saurabh Maurya challenging the manner in which his account was suspended following copyright strikes. Even as Meta informed the court that Maurya's account had been restored and the strikes against it reversed, Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani issued notice on his broader challenge to the manner in which intermediaries act on copyright strikes. Maurya approached the court after his account was...

Madras High Court Restrains Piracy Of Lokesh Kanagaraj-Starrer 'DC' Ahead Of Release

The Madras High Court has restrained internet service providers and cable TV operators from facilitating the apprehended copyright violation of Sun TV Network Limited's upcoming Tamil film "DC."The film, starring filmmaker Lokesh Kanagaraj in his lead acting debut, is slated for theatrical release on August 7.Justice K. Kumaresh Babu on August 5 passed the order on two applications filed by Sun TV in a copyright infringement suit, one directed at major ISPs including BSNL, Airtel, Vodafone, Jio,...

Playing IPRS-Owned Music In Hotel Rooms Without Licence Is Copyright Infringement: Calcutta High Court

The Calcutta High Court has restrained Hotel Appolo & Tours Private Limited from communicating literary and musical works owned by members of The Indian Performing Right Society Limited (IPRS) to guests through television sets in its hotel rooms without first obtaining a valid licence from the copyright society. It held that routing cable television connections to hotel rooms amounts to "communication to the public" under the Copyright Act, 1957.A division bench of Justice Debangsu Basak and...

Delhi Commercial Court Orders Blocking Of Websites Selling Pirated TrendyTech Course

A commercial court in Saket, New Delhi, has granted an ex parte interim injunction restraining the unauthorised sale and distribution of pirated copies of TrendyTech Insights LLP's copyrighted "GDL TrendyTech Ultimate Big Data Masters Program" course. It also directed the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), along with internet service providers and other intermediaries, to block access to the infringing websites, while...

Foreign Seat Of Arbitration Alone Doesn't Oust Indian Courts' Jurisdiction To Grant Interim Relief: Karnataka High Court

The Karnataka High Court has ruled that merely choosing a foreign seat of arbitration does not, by itself, prevent Indian courts from granting interim relief under Section 9 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996. It observed that excluding the jurisdiction of Indian courts requires an express agreement between the parties.Justice M.G.S. Kamal observed, "Therefore, mere existence of an arbitration clause providing place of arbitration outside India itself cannot be construed as ''an...

Delhi High Court Issues Notice On Times Now Suit Against Network18, Sushant Sinha Over 'Desh Ki Paatshala'

The Delhi High Court on Friday issued notice on a suit filed by Bennett Coleman and Company Limited, which runs the Times Now Navbharat news channel, against Network18 Media and Investments Limited and journalist Sushant Sinha, alleging copyright and trademark infringement over the show 'Desh Ki Paatshala.'Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani declined to pass an ad-interim injunction at this stage. Observing that the defendants had entered an appearance on caveat, the court said they were entitled to...

Delhi High Court Flags Misuse Of Meta's Copyright Strike System, Calls It 'Platform For Extortion By Bad Actors'

The Delhi High Court has recorded Meta Platforms' assurance that it will ensure user accounts are not blocked due to fraudulent copyright strikes, while observing that the platform's current enforcement mechanism has become a tool for "blackmail" and "extortion." Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani made the observations while hearing two separate suits filed by content creators Mohammed Nawaz Shaikh and Prateek Sahni. The matters reached the Court after the plaintiffs' accounts or videos were taken...

Delhi High Court Orders Meta To Share User Details, IP Logs In Suit Over Fake Copyright Strikes

The Delhi High Court has directed Meta Platforms Inc. to furnish subscriber information and IP logs relating to people alleged to have misused its copyright reporting system to extort digital content creator Mohammed Nawaz Shaikh.Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani passed the order in a suit filed by Shaikh against unidentified persons. The plaintiff alleged that one of them operated through fabricated identities.Shaikh filed the suit seeking a permanent and mandatory injunction to restrain...

Delhi High Court Seeks Centre, Meta's Reply On PIL Alleging Misuse Of Instagram Copyright Strike Mechanism

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday issued notice to the Union of India, the Ministry of Home Affairs, Meta Platforms Inc. and the Government of NCT of Delhi in a public interest litigation alleging that Instagram's automated copyright-strike mechanism is being exploited by organised cyber criminals to extort digital content creators.A Division Bench of Justice V. Kameswar Rao and Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora sought responses from the respondents on the plea filed by content creator Nitin...

Delhi High Court Grants HBO Temporary Injunction Against 30 Rogue Websites In Copyright Suit

The Delhi High Court has recently granted an ad-interim injunction in favour of Home Box Office Inc. (HBO) against 30 rogue websites allegedly streaming its copyrighted films and shows without authorisation.The court has also directed internet service providers (ISPs) and domain name registrars (DNRs) to technically verify whether any newly identified website is a mirror, redirect or alphanumeric version of the injuncted websites and, if so, enforce the injunction against it as a pro-tem...

Madras High Court Grants Relief To Zee Against Apprehended Copyright Infringement Of 'Bhootam Bhayam' Film

The Madras High Court has temporarily restrained internet service providers and cable TV operators from infringing Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited's copyright in its Marathi film Bhootam Bhayam, which was released on July 24The court observed that "irreversible injury" could occur unless apprehended unlawful broadcasts were prevented.Justice K. Kumaresh Babu passed the order on two applications filed by Zee Entertainment in a suit alleging apprehended infringement of its copyright in the...