Two Indian digital creators have approached the Delhi High Court alleging that Meta’s copyright enforcement system was manipulated through Facebook’s “Edit Post” feature, enabling bad actors to file fraudulent copyright claims against their original Instagram content. The petitions have raised concerns over the reliability of Meta’s automated copyright tools and their potential misuse against content creators.
The lawsuits, filed by financial educator Pushkar Raj Thakur and digital creator Neeraj Joshi, claim that unidentified individuals used a loophole in Facebook’s desktop edit functionality to create the appearance that they had published content before the original creators. These allegedly backdated posts were then used to trigger copyright strikes on Instagram through Meta’s Rights Manager.
According to the petitions, the alleged infringers first uploaded unrelated content to old Facebook posts. After the creators published original Instagram Reels, the infringers allegedly downloaded those videos and replaced the media in their old Facebook posts using the desktop-only Edit Post feature.
Although the content changed, the original publication date reportedly remained unchanged, making it appear as though the infringers had uploaded the video first. The manipulated posts were then allegedly submitted as proof of ownership through Meta’s Rights Manager, resulting in copyright strikes against the creators’ original videos.
The petitions argue that Meta’s automated copyright enforcement relied on these claims without sufficiently verifying metadata, edit history, or the actual chronology of publication. As a result, several original videos were allegedly removed, restricted, or disabled despite belonging to the creators.
Pushkar Raj Thakur has also alleged that he was denied access to Meta’s Rights Manager while the alleged infringers continued using the same tool to file copyright complaints against his content. He has sought nearly Rs 2 crore in damages, citing loss of followers, monetisation opportunities, sponsorships, and business goodwill.
In Neeraj Joshi’s case, Justice Jyoti Singh directed Meta to investigate the allegations and preserve his verified Instagram account if it had not already been permanently disabled. The Court also instructed the company to provide subscriber information and IP logs that could help identify those allegedly responsible for the copyright claims. The matter has been listed for further hearing on August 5.
In Pushkar Raj Thakur’s petition, Meta assured the Court that it would not remove his videos or suspend his account over copyright strikes until the next hearing. The company also agreed to restore deleted content after receiving the relevant URLs. The matter is scheduled to be heard on July 17.
FAQs
1. Why have creators moved the Delhi High Court against Meta?
Creators Pushkar Raj Thakur and Neeraj Joshi allege that Meta’s copyright enforcement tools were misused through Facebook’s Edit Post feature to file false copyright claims against their original Instagram content.
2. How was Facebook’s Edit Post feature allegedly exploited?
According to the petitions, old Facebook posts were edited to replace their original media with creators’ videos while retaining the earlier publication date, creating the appearance of prior ownership.
3. What is Meta’s Rights Manager?
Rights Manager is Meta’s copyright management system that allows rights holders to identify and report allegedly infringing content across Facebook and Instagram.
4. What relief have the creators sought?
The creators have sought protection against wrongful copyright strikes, restoration of removed content, stronger safeguards within Meta’s copyright systems, and, in one case, ₹2 crore in damages.
5. What has the Delhi High Court directed so far?
The Court has asked Meta to investigate the allegations, preserve one creator’s Instagram account, provide subscriber and IP information where applicable, and temporarily refrain from removing another creator’s content while the matter is pending.
