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Meta platforms Inc informed the Delhi High Court on Wednesday (September 9) that it had restored two Instagram reels of Stand-up Comedian Pulkit Mani, who has filed a suit against copyright strikes based on complaints by unknown persons over his original work.

The Plaintiff had also sought reliefs against Defendant No. 1, Meta Platforms, Inc. on account of its acceptance and enforcement of such complaints, removal of the Plaintiff's original content, and recording of copyright strikes against his Instagram Page @hunnywhoisfunny.

After hearing the matter for some time, Justice Jyoti Singh issued summons to the defendants in the suit and notice on the application for interim relief.

The defendants in the suit are Meta, Google LLC, WhatsApp LLC, Union of India Ministry of Communications Department of Telecommunications, Microsoft Corporation and 10 John Doe defendants which includes several Instagram accounts. 

During the hearing, counsel for Meta submitted on instructions that the two URLs had been restored, which was acknowledged by the plaintiff's counsel. He said that that the Basic Subscriber Information and IP Log details will be provided to the plaintiff in respect of John Doe defendants 7-10, 13 and 14 in a password protected document. 

Meanwhile Google submitted that the BSI details of the concerned defendants 6 and 7 (also John Doe) will be provided in 2 weeks. 

Defendant no. 3 WhatsApp submitted that it shall preserve the BSI details for the concerned phone number and the disclosure of the BSI details will be filed in court in three weeks in a sealed cover or password protected document. 

The application for interim relief is listed on January 18. 

The suit claims that the Plaintiff's original works have repeatedly been subjected to copyright complaints submitted by persons whose identities and alleged rights in the works are not known to the Plaintiff. 

The Plaintiff's case is that the two removed Reels comprise his own original creative works. The First Instagram Reel was independently conceived, edited, sequenced and remixed by the Plaintiff with the knowledge, participation and consent of the original creator of the underlying footage. The Second Instagram Reel comprised an excerpt from the Plaintiff's original stand-up comedy performance, he has stated. 

The suit claims that the underlying stand-up material was conceived, written and performed by the Plaintiff and formed part of his original stand-up set performed before a live audience. 

The suit claims that the despite the absence of any material demonstrating ownership on the part of the Strikes, Meta accepted the complaints, removed the Plaintiff's original content and recorded copyright strikes against the Page. The Plaintiff thereafter moved an appeal before Meta and furnished material establishing his authorship and prior publication of the impugned works. He claims that  Meta merely acknowledged the appeals and failed to communicate any substantive or reasoned decision addressing the Plaintiff's evidence.

The suit seeks a declaration that the strikes are unlawful as well as decree of permanent injunction restraining Meta from suspending, disabling, terminating, restricting or otherwise taking any adverse action against the Page @hunnywhoisfunny on the basis of the impugned copyright strikes arising therefrom.

It seeks an injunction directing the Defendants No. 1 to 5 to preserve and disclose all information, documents and electronic records in its possession relating to the copyright  complaints and all other identifying information pertaining to Defendant Nos. 6 to 15, together with copies of the impugned copyright strikes and all communications relating thereto.

In the interim the plaintiff seeks restoration of the reels as well as disclosure of the BSI among other reliefs. 

Case title: PULKIT MANI v/s META PLATFORM INC. & ORS.

 CS(COMM)- 982/2026

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