Delhi High Court Questions Meta on Copyright Tool Access Policy

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday asked Meta why established content creators are denied access to Meta’s rights manager tool even as scammers appear to be able to use it to issue fraudulent copyright strikes against original content [Mohit Kumar v. John Doe/Ashok Kumar and Others].Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani asked Meta to place on record its policy and eligibility criteria for granting access to rights manager, a free content-protection tool offered by the company.The Court also asked Meta to explain the basis on which applications for access to the tool are rejected.“Why doesn’t everybody have access to it then?” the Court asked.Anup Jairam BhambhaniThe suit was filed by Mohit Kumar, an artificial intelligence, business and e-commerce coach who creates educational content on social media under the handle “Rise With Mohit”.Kumar alleged that scammers had downloaded his original videos and registered them with Meta’s rights manager as their own. They then allegedly used the tool to issue copyright strikes against Kumar’s accounts.Rights Manager identifies matching content uploaded on Facebook and Instagram. A person with access to the tool can choose to monitor, block or initiate action against content that matches material claimed by them.Kumar’s counsel told the Court that he had applied for access to the tool three times but was rejected without any clear reason. It was argued that persons with only a few hundred followers appeared to have secured access, while establis