Zee Moves Delhi HC Against Nykaa Over Instagram Reels Music
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Zee Entertainment Enterprises has filed a suit against Nykaa in the Delhi High Court, alleging the beauty ecommerce marketplace used its copyrighted songs in Instagram reels without permission to promote products.
Citing court documents, Reuters reported Zee as claiming that its music licensing deal with Meta Platforms allows individuals to use its songs for non-commercial purposes on Instagram. However, it said that Nykaa used several of these tracks for promotional content aimed at its large follower base.
Zee alleged in the lawsuit, which runs over 900 pages, that Nykaa used the music “without securing any permissions or authorisations”. The company is seeking ₹2 Cr in damages from Nykaa.
The media conglomerate flagged 12 Instagram reels in the case, submitting screenshots as evidence. During a recent hearing, Nykaa’s legal team told the court the identified links had been taken down.
The case comes as brands increasingly rely on short-video content on platforms like Instagram for marketing, often using popular Hindi tracks in the background.
The next hearing in the case is scheduled for May 26.
The Indian digital ecosystem has seen similar copyright battles in the recent past, with courts increasingly taking a strict view on music usage.
In one of the most prominent cases, T-Series sued ShareChat in 2020 over alleged unauthorised use of its music across short-video platforms like Moj. The matter was eventually resolved through a licensing deal, with ShareChat agreeing to pay for access to T-Series’ catalogue.
In another such instance, the Delhi HC ruled in favour of Tips Industries in a case against Wynk Music. The HC ruled that digital platforms cannot rely on statutory licensing provisions to stream music without explicit consent from rights holders.
The judgment tightened the legal position for commercial use of music, particularly for platforms and brands operating at scale.
This evolving legal backdrop is particularly relevant for Nykaa, which has been leaning heavily on content-led commerce to drive growth. In Q3 FY26, the company reported a 156% YoY jump in net profit to ₹67.7 Cr, while operating revenue rose 27% to ₹2,873.3 Cr.
The Falguni Nayar-led company is yet to announce the date for releasing its Q4 FY26 financials.
The post Zee Moves Delhi HC Against Nykaa Over Instagram Reels Music appeared first on Inc42 Media.
