Can social media platforms suspend accounts over copyright strikes? Delhi HC to examine

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court will examine whether social media platforms can suspend or delete user accounts based on copyright strikes, in a case involving content creator Saurabh Maurya’s Instagram account.

Maurya’s account was suspended by Meta after third parties claimed copyright ownership of videos he had created. His counsel, senior advocate Diya Kapur, assisted by advocate Nakul Gandhi, told the court that the videos had been uploaded by others on different platforms, with the upload dates allegedly manipulated to make it appear that they had been posted earlier.

Meta subsequently suspended Maurya’s Instagram account based on the copyright claims, despite his contention that he was the original creator of the content.

During the hearing, Meta informed Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani that the copyright strikes had been found to be fake. The company said the strikes had been reversed and Maurya’s account restored.

Maurya’s counsel, however, argued that restoring the account did not address the broader legal question of how social media platforms use copyright strikes to suspend or delete user accounts.

The court asked the parties to address whether such action is consistent with principles laid down by the Supreme Court in Shreya Singhal v. Union of India and by the Delhi High Court in Myspace Inc. v. Super Cassettes Industries Ltd.

Justice Bhambhani directed the defendants to specifically address the issue in their replies and recorded Meta’s statement that Maurya’s account had been restored.

The matter will be heard next on September 24.