“Copyright Strikes Take Front Seat Over Personality Rights”: Delhi High Court On Comedian Pulkit Mani's Plea
Riya Rathore
9 Sept 2026 11:35 AM IST
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday orally remarked that copyright disputes are increasingly taking precedence over personality-rights cases.
Justice Jyoti Singh remarked, “Personality rights have taken a back seat, copyright strikes have taken a front seat, every day one matter.”
The observation came while hearing a suit filed by stand-up comedian Pulkit Mani. He has challenged copyright strikes against his content on his Instagram page @hunnywhoisfunny and alleged an attempt to extract money from him to get the strikes rectified.
The Court directed Meta and WhatsApp to disclose basic subscriber information concerning the parties behind the disputed copyright strikes. It also recorded that two URLs mentioned in the plaint had already been restored.
Mani had sued Meta, WhatsApp, and another set of parties after his content was taken down over what he alleged were fake copyright complaints.
Meta's counsel, Advocate Varun Pathak, confirmed that two URLs cited in the plaint had already been restored, and agreed to furnish basic subscriber information for defendants named in the suit within two weeks.
Mani's counsel flagged that the dispute goes beyond just these two takedowns, pointing to other account restrictions that have followed from the strikes, with the court directing Meta to address the entire suit in its reply rather than piecemeal.
Counsel for WhatsApp told the court that Mani's plaint, at paragraph 20, identifies a specific phone number used by someone who contacted him directly, attempting to extract money from him in exchange for getting the copyright strikes withdrawn.
WhatsApp agreed to disclose the basic subscriber information tied to that number, in a sealed cover, and to preserve the underlying data, within three weeks.
Meta's counsel sought a similar direction for itself, agreeing to hand over both subscriber information and IP logs for the John Doe defendants named in the suit, in a password-protected document, within the same timeframe.
The court directed that notice go out to all defendants, with replies to be filed within three weeks.
The matter is now listed for further hearing on January 18, 2027.