Court asks Mohak Mangal to modify video, Zubair and Kamra to take down ANI posts
The legal battle originated from Mangal's YouTube video, where he criticized ANI's copyright strikes and demands for licensing fees, labeling them as "extortion." ANI subsequently filed a defamation and copyright suit, asserting that these remarks harmed its reputation and misrepresented its content protection methods.
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The Delhi High Court on Thursday directed YouTuber Mohak Mangal to edit out portions of his video deemed objectionable by news agency ANI. Following the court's intervention, both parties reached an agreement on the specific content to be removed before the video's republication on Mangal's YouTube channel.
Additionally, the Delhi HC instructed Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair and comedian Kunal Kamra to take down specific posts on X (formerly Twitter) that targeted the news wire agency.
The legal battle originated from Mangal's YouTube video, where he criticized ANI's copyright strikes and demands for licensing fees, labeling them as "extortion." ANI subsequently filed a defamation and copyright suit, asserting that these remarks harmed its reputation and misrepresented its content protection methods.
Zubair, who had amplified Mangal's views on X, agreed to delete his tweets. His legal counsel informed the court that while Zubair's comments were made in a civil manner and addressed a broader issue, he would comply with the court's suggestion.
However, Kamra initially resisted removing all the critical tweets he had posted on the matter. His counsel argued that the tweets were protected under free speech and addressed a matter of public interest concerning the use of YouTube's copyright enforcement tools against content creators.
"There is a larger public interest in understanding how YouTube’s policies can be weaponized against content creators. The language may not be palatable, but it is protected by free speech," Kamra's counsel stated.
Justice Amit Bansal, presiding over the case, acknowledged the importance of free speech but stated that terms like "thugs" and "mafia" were unacceptable. "This kind of language is not acceptable. I am all for free speech but calling someone ‘thugs’ is not okay... ‘thugs’ and ‘mafia’ are serious," Justice Bansal remarked.
Despite initial resistance, Kamra eventually agreed to delete one of the tweets flagged by ANI.
The Delhi High Court has scheduled the next hearing in this case for July 31, 2025.
