'Like giving key to robber & not house's owner': Delhi HC asks Meta why scammers access Rights tool, not creators
Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani directed Meta to place its policy and eligibility requirements for accessing Rights Manager on record. The court also sought an explanation from the company on the grounds used to reject applications from creators seeking access to the content-protection tool.
The Delhi High Court questioned Meta over its criteria for granting access to its Rights Manager tool, following allegations that genuine content creators are being denied access while scammers exploit the system to file false copyright claims against original material. Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani directed Meta to publish its policy and eligibility requirements for accessing Rights Manager.
The court asked, "Why doesn't everybody have access to it then?", comparing it to giving a key to a robber instead of the homeowner. Mohit Kumar, an AI coach, brought the lawsuit, claiming fraudsters copied his videos and submitted them to Meta's Rights Manager, falsely presenting themselves as the copyright owners. Kumar's counsel argued that fraudsters were misusing the tool to issue copyright strikes against Kumar's social media accounts, potentially leading to his account removal and loss of revenue and business opportunities.
Meta claimed fraudulent copyright strikes against Kumar had been withdrawn and content removed as a result had been restored, and that his accounts would not be suspended. However, Meta agreed to submit its policy and eligibility requirements before the court. The court ordered Meta to restore any content removed following fraudulent copyright strikes if Kumar provides evidence that he is the legitimate owner of the material and the copyright claims are false. The case will be heard again on September 24.
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