Zee Entertainment has filed a lawsuit in the Delhi High Court against Nykaa, alleging that the beauty e-commerce marketplace used its copyrighted songs in Instagram Reels without permission. Zee has sought about Rs 2 crore in damages.
The suit, filed on April 3 and reviewed by Reuters, lists 12 Instagram Reels in which Nykaa allegedly used Zee’s licensed music as background tracks to reach its millions of followers.
What is Zee claiming? Zee’s legal argument fundamentally rests on a crucial distinction: its licensing agreement with Meta Platforms permits individuals to use its music in Instagram posts for non-commercial purposes. Nykaa’s use of music to promote products to a large commercial following falls outside that permission, Zee contends.
During a court hearing, Nykaa’s counsel informed the Delhi High Court that all 12 flagged Instagram Reels had been taken down. However, it does not necessarily nullify Zee’s damages claim. None of the companies have commented publicly on the litigation. The matter is next listed for hearing on May 26.
The case highlights tensions that have been building quietly across India’s booming short-video economy. Hindi film songs have become the default currency of brand storytelling on Instagram and YouTube Shorts, with marketing teams routinely selecting tracks from in-app music libraries without scrutinising the commercial use restrictions buried in the platforms’ terms of service.
Aditya Gupta, a partner at Ira Law, said, “Marketing departments often use content available on music libraries without reading the fine print”. The Delhi High Court’s final ruling may force brands to fundamentally reconsider this practice.”
Why it matters: The lawsuit can set an example on how e-commerce platforms engage with licensed content on social media. The availability of a song within a platform’s music library does not, by itself, confer the right to use it in advertising or product promotion. The Meta-Zee music licensing deal explicitly distinguishes between personal and commercial use. Nykaa is alleged to have crossed that line on at least 12 occasions.
More importantly, the outcome of the suit will test whether India’s copyright framework can address the nuances of platform-intermediated commercial content in the age of short-form video marketing.
Zee’s record in IP litigation and comparable cases: Historically, Zee has been aggressive in pursuing copyright infringement claims. In January this year, MediaNama reported that ShareChat had allegedly used Zee Entertainment’s copyrighted material without permission.
In 2024, Zee filed a defamation lawsuit against Bloomberg. Consequently, a Delhi court directed the news publisher to take down an article about Zee’s financials.
Similar legal battles have played out in jurisdictions outside India. In the US, the music industry’s sustained litigation against TikTok’s predecessor Musical.ly, and later…
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