AAP leader Raghav Chadha urges amendment to India’s Copyright Act 1957 to protect digital content creators, ensuring fair use, due process, and livelihood security.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Raghav Chadha on Thursday called for crucial amendments to the Copyright Act of 1957 to safeguard the rights and livelihoods of digital content creators. Speaking during Zero Hour in the Rajya Sabha, the MP from Punjab emphasized that creators’ income and careers should be protected by law, not dictated by arbitrary algorithms.

Chadha highlighted that millions of Indians are now digital creators, including educators, reviewers, satirists, entertainers, musicians, and social media influencers. “Whether it is a YouTube channel or an Instagram page, for them it is not just a source of entertainment. It is their income, their asset, the result of their hard work,” he said.

He raised concerns about unjust copyright strikes and restrictions imposed by digital platforms, which can threaten creators’ channels even when copyrighted content is used for 2-3 seconds for commentary, critique, parody, educational purposes, or news reporting. “Years of hard work can be wiped out in minutes. Livelihoods must be determined by law, not by arbitrary algorithms,” Chadha added.

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Chadha clarified that he respects the rights of copyright holders but stressed that fair use should not be treated as piracy. “Fair use, especially when the purpose is incidental or transformative, should not erase the efforts of creators. Innovation cannot thrive in fear, and creativity cannot survive under threat,” he said.

He also pointed out that the Copyright Act of 1957 predates the internet, digital platforms, and social media. “The act lacks definitions for digital creators. Fair dealing was intended for books, magazines, and journals, not YouTube or Instagram content,” Chadha explained.

Chadha made three key proposals to the House:

1. Amend the Copyright Act to define digital fair use, including transformative use (commentary, satire, critique), incidental use, proportional use, educational use, public-interest use, and non-commercial use.

2. Introduce proportionality in copyright enforcement, ensuring that brief use of content in the background does not lead to full takedown of a creator’s work.

3. Implement mandatory due process before content removal to protect creators’ rights.

These amendments, Chadha argued, are essential to secure the livelihoods of millions of digital creators and foster a safe, innovative, and creative digital ecosystem in India.