AAP MP Raghav Chadha raised a strong and timely issue in the Rajya Sabha, speaking about fair use and copyright strikes on digital content and how they are hurting millions of Indian creators. In his speech, Chadha said that today’s digital creators are not just entertainers. They are educators, reviewers, satirists, musicians, and influencers who act as grassroots communicators of India.
For them, a YouTube channel or an Instagram page is not a hobby, it is their income, their asset, and the result of years of hard work. But this hard work, he said, is being destroyed very easily due to arbitrary copyright strikes.
Fair Use and Copyright Strikes On Digital Content
Chadha explained that many creators receive copyright strikes even when they use just two or three seconds of copyrighted content.
This happens even when the use is for commentary, criticism, parody, education, or news reporting. In some cases, the content is only incidental, like a short clip playing in the background.
Despite this, platforms issue copyright strikes, and entire channels or pages get taken down. Years of effort vanish in minutes.
He clearly stated that fair use is not piracy. Respecting copyright holders is important, but punishing creators for transformative or incidental use is unfair.
Chadha stressed that livelihoods should be decided by law, not by automated and algorithm-driven systems.
According to him, creativity cannot grow when creators live in constant fear of takedowns.
Need To Amend Copyright Act 1957 For Digital Creators
Raghav Chadha pointed out a major gap in India’s copyright law. The Copyright Act of 1957 was written long before the internet, social media, or digital creators existed.
While the law mentions “fair dealing,” it mainly talks about books, journals, and magazines, not today’s digital platforms. Because of this, there is no clear definition of digital fair use.
Chadha placed three key demands before the House. First, the law must be amended to clearly define digital fair use, including commentary, satire, critique, explanation, educational use, public interest use, and non-commercial use.
Second, copyright enforcement must follow the proportionality doctrine, so a few seconds of content do not destroy an entire channel. Third, there must be mandatory due process before takedowns, giving creators a fair chance.
His message was simple and clear: protect original creators, but also protect digital creators who depend on fair use to create, inform, and innovate.
