Delhi HC Issues Summons to Blinkit in Zee Copyright Infringement Case
The Delhi High Court has summoned Blinkit after Zed Entertainment Enterprises Ltd accused it of copyright violation for its promotional video on Instagram. The broadcaster has claimed that Blinkit has utilised its copyrighted material without permission for commercial purposes.
The case between Zed Entertainment Enterprises Ltd and Blink Commerce Pvt. Ltd (Blinkit) has been brought before the Delhi High Court. Instagram posts by Blinkit are allegedly infringing on Zee's copyright, according to the latter. According to Mint, Broadcaster has become increasingly aggressive in its pursuit of brands and platforms that use its content for commercial purposes, as seen by its third copyright action in the past few months.
Justice Jyoti Singh admitted the case and sent summonses to Blinkit, according to a 28 July court order seen by a media house. Singh further asked for comments regarding Zee's petition for a temporary restraining order regarding the video in question. On August 14th, the matter is expected to be heard.
Delhi High Court’s Summon to Blinkit
Zed was also given permission by the court to record screen captures of the allegedly infringing Instagram post, as per reported by Mint. In the order, it is mentioned that the Defendant's Instagram account contains screen recordings of the infringing works. These recordings are stored on a pen drive. Within 30 days of receiving the summons, Blinkit is directed to file its written statement.
The court has ordered that the Defendant be served with summonses using all legal means. Additionally, the written statement must be submitted no later than 30 days after the date of summons receipt. The order failed to decide whether copyright infringement had happened or to assess the validity of Zee's claims. Currently, the only actions taken by the court are to notify Blinkit and schedule a hearing about Zee's request for temporary relief. In addition, the high court noted that Zed had requested immediate redress, thus it waived the pre-institution mediation requirement. The order states that, considering the facts of the current case, immediate relief is requested. The Plaintiff is also excluded from the requirement of pre-institution mediation.
Zee Copyright Actions Continues
Following comparable lawsuits against JioStar and apparel retailer Nykaa, Zee has filed a succession of copyright actions, the most recent of which being the Blinkit case. On April 14th, Zee filed a lawsuit against JioStar, claiming that the broadcaster had been hosting and profiting from programming that contained copyrighted works of Zee. Despite the fact that the licences it obtained in 2017 and 2020 have already expired, it continues to do so. Since then, the Delhi High Court Mediation and Conciliation Centre (DHCMCC) has been asked to mediate the incident.
Additionally, Zee informed the court that in November 2025, JioStar had suggested an extra month as a safety net. To compensate for accidental appropriation of Zee's material, Jio has requested such a solution. Zee, on the other hand, claims that infringements persisted after that extension had ended. It has not yet been resolved. Zee said in its April 3 lawsuit that fashion store Nykaa had utilised its copyrighted music in 12 promotional reels on Instagram to offer products for sale. Zee stated that the content it licenses from Meta is limited to personal, non-commercial usage. Nykaa has requested that Meta Platforms be added to the lawsuit and has requested that the court send the matter to mediation.
