iWorld
Delhi High Court orders Meta to remove Zee content from 14 Facebook pages
Court grants interim relief on copyright claims but stops short of blocking Facebook accounts
New Delhi: Copyright concerns have landed on Meta’s doorstep once again. The Delhi High Court has directed Meta Platforms to remove allegedly infringing content uploaded across 14 Facebook pages that were carrying television serials and web series owned by Zee Entertainment Enterprises.
The interim order was passed by justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani in a copyright suit filed by Zee against Meta and 18 other defendants. While the court ordered the removal of the identified content, it declined, at this stage, to direct the blocking of the Facebook accounts operating the pages.
Zee has sought permanent, mandatory and dynamic injunctions to restrain the alleged infringement of its copyright and broadcast reproduction rights. The company has also sought damages, rendition of accounts, disclosure of information, delivery-up of infringing material and other consequential reliefs.
According to the suit, operators of multiple Facebook pages were repeatedly uploading Zee’s television serials and web series, making the content available on Meta’s platform through several log-in accounts and pages on a continuing basis.
The broadcaster also contended that despite issuing take-down notices to Meta, the platform had, in some instances, restricted access only in certain geographical regions, allowing the same allegedly infringing content to remain accessible elsewhere. It further alleged that the Facebook pages were monetising the content through advertisements and argued that Meta was also benefiting from that monetisation.
After considering the submissions, the court found that Zee had established a prima facie case for interim relief and that the balance of convenience favoured the broadcaster. It also observed that failing to grant interim protection could cause irreparable harm to Zee.
Accordingly, the court directed Meta to remove the content identified through the URLs placed before it. However, it stopped short of ordering the suspension or blocking of the Facebook accounts themselves, leaving that issue to be considered at a later stage in the proceedings.
