Delhi HC Orders Meta To Remove Zee’s Pirated Content From Facebook

The Delhi High Court (HC) has reportedly passed a John Doe order directing Meta to take down multiple Facebook URLs allegedly hosting Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited’s (ZEEL) unauthorised content.

For context, a John Doe order is issued to curb intellectual property (IP) infringement by unidentified individuals or entities. Such orders have been used to take down unauthorised online streams, curb movie piracy, and block deepfakes and impersonation content.

According to a Live Law report, Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani passed the ex parte ad interim order in a copyright infringement suit filed by Zee against several Facebook profiles accused of illegally uploading and hosting its content.

Zee alleged that users were uploading and monetising its IP content without approval. While the HC has directed Meta to remove the allegedly infringing content, it declined to block the Facebook accounts in question at this stage.

Justice Bhambhani said the court could consider blocking the accounts at a later stage after the defendants file their replies. The court also issued summons in the suit and directed the parties to file their written submissions.

As per a report by the Mint, Zee argued that several Facebook pages were illegally streaming clips from its television programmes, allowing users to watch the content without permission.

The broadcaster told the court that Meta occasionally removed specific videos following takedown notices. However, it said the measures had proven to be ineffective as the allegedly infringing content continued to resurface on the platform across different geographical locations.

Zee also reportedly presented screenshots of multiple Facebook pages to show how its copyrighted programmes were allegedly being uploaded and monetised without authorisation. 

The court also asked Zee to provide Meta with a soft copy of all the Facebook URLs allegedly hosting infringing content to facilitate their removal.

The lawsuit against Meta comes amid Zee’s broader crackdown on the alleged unauthorised use of its copyrighted content across digital platforms.

In May, the Delhi HC sent Zee’s copyright dispute with Reliance-Disney joint venture JioStar to mediation. Zee had sued JioStar seeking $3 Mn in damages for allegedly using copyrighted works from its music division on JioHotstar and certain television channels after licensing agreements expired in 2024 and 2025.

In its lawsuit, Zee alleged that JioStar used its music content at least 50 times after the agreements expired. JioStar, however, said it had taken steps to remove infringing content and argued that residual or passive archival hosting did not amount to copyright infringement.

Separately, Zee had sued beauty and fashion ecommerce major Nykaa for allegedly using its copyrighted songs in promotional Instagram reels without permission. The broadcaster had sought around ₹2 Cr in damages and submitted 12 reels as evidence in the case.

Zee argued that while its licensing agreement with Meta allows individuals to use its songs for non-commercial purposes on Instagram, Nykaa allegedly used the tracks for commercial promotions. 

The legal actions are part of Zee’s push to protect its content catalogue, which includes more than 19,450 songs across 17 languages.

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