India's Zee sues Nykaa over alleged copyright misuse of songs on Instagram reels
NEW DELHI: India’s Zee Entertainment has sued fashion-to-beauty retailer Nykaa for allegedly using its copyrighted songs in Instagram reels to promote its products, seeking $210,000 in damages, previously unreported court documents show. In an April 3 lawsuit filed in the Delhi High Court, Zee argued it has a licensing agreement with Meta Platforms that allows individuals to use its music in Instagram posts for non-commercial use, but said Nykaa had used several of Zee’s copyrighted songs in reels to promote products to millions of followers. The lawsuit documents are not public but were reviewed by Reuters. Nykaa and Zee both declined to comment on the lawsuit. Short-video formats have become a key advertising tool for brands on social media platforms like Meta’s Instagram, often featuring popular Hindi songs as background music. Twelve flagged links taken down Zee listed 12 Instagram reels in its lawsuit, along with screenshots, where Nykaa allegedly used Zee’s licensed music to promote its products in social media posts.