Blinkit Gets Summoned to Court Over an Instagram Reel Zee Says It Didn't Own

A quick commerce app and a media broadcaster do not usually cross paths in a courtroom, until a promotional reel makes the two industries collide. That is exactly what has landed Blinkit in front of the Delhi High Court this week.

Zee, formally Zed Entertainment Enterprises, has accused Blink Commerce, the company behind Blinkit, of using its copyrighted content without permission in a promotional video posted on Instagram. Justice Jyoti Singh admitted the case and issued summons to Blinkit through a July 28 court order, alongside a request for the company's response to Zee's plea for a temporary restraining order on the video in question. The matter is scheduled to be heard next on August 14.

The order goes a step further than a routine notice. The court has allowed Zee to record screen captures of the allegedly infringing post, noting that Blinkit's Instagram account holds screen recordings of the disputed content, currently stored on a pen drive as evidence. Blinkit has been directed to file its written statement within 30 days of receiving the summons. The court has not made any finding on whether infringement actually occurred, it has simply set the process in motion, while also waiving the usual pre-institution mediation requirement given the urgency Zee cited in its plea.

This is not Zee's first swing at a commercial platform this year. In April, the broadcaster sued JioStar over content it says continued airing despite expired licensing agreements from 2017 and 2020, a dispute now sitting with the Delhi High Court's mediation centre. Around the same time, Zee took on fashion retailer Nykaa too, alleging the company used its licensed music across a dozen Instagram promotional reels, with Nykaa in turn asking that Meta Platforms be pulled into that fight as well.

Three lawsuits in a matter of months suggests Zee has decided the era of overlooking casual use of its content on social media is over, and platforms leaning on catchy, licensed-sounding reels may want to double-check their rights before hitting publish.