Delhi Court issues notice to Mohak Mangal, Google in fresh ANI copyright case

New Delhi: A Delhi court has issued notices to YouTuber Mohak Mangal and Google LLC in a new copyright and trademark infringement lawsuit filed by Asian News International (ANI), the news agency. 

The suit accuses Mangal of unauthorised use of ANI’s news videos in his YouTube content, which has garnered over four million views, and seeks damages and legal remedies for alleged violations of ANI’s intellectual property rights. 

This marks the second legal action initiated by ANI against Mangal, following a defamation case filed in May 2025.

The fresh lawsuit, heard on June 9, 2025, alleged that Mangal used ANI’s copyrighted video footage without permission in his monetised YouTube videos, infringing on the agency’s trademarks and copyrighted content. 

ANI claims Mangal’s actions have caused financial harm and damaged its reputation, as his videos reportedly profited from the unauthorized use of their material. The court has scheduled a hearing to further examine the case, but no interim relief, such as an immediate injunction, was granted at this stage.

Mangal, a content creator with over 4.2 million subscribers known for his videos on social, political, and economic issues, intends to contest the claims and has sought to transfer the case. 

His legal troubles with ANI began earlier this year when he published a video titled “Dear ANI” on May 25, 2025, accusing the agency of misusing YouTube’s copyright strike system to extort creators. 

In that video, Mangal alleged that ANI demanded Rs 40 lakh to lift copyright strikes against his channel, prompting a high-profile defamation suit in which the Delhi High Court directed him to remove defamatory remarks like “hafta wasooli” (extortion) and “gunda raj” from the video.

The earlier defamation case also named comedian Kunal Kamra and AltNews co-founder Mohammed Zubair as defendants for sharing Mangal’s video on X, amplifying the allegedly defamatory content. 

The court ordered Kamra and Zubair to delete specific posts, with Mangal agreeing to edit and republish a revised version of the video after removing objectionable portions. ANI sought $10 million in damages in that case, arguing that Mangal’s video triggered widespread online harassment and harmed its goodwill.

In the current suit, ANI’s claims against Google LLC, YouTube’s parent company, likely stem from the platform’s role in hosting Mangal’s videos. The agency may be seeking accountability from Google for failing to prevent the alleged infringement, though specific details of the claims against the tech giant remain unclear. 

Mangal’s legal team has previously argued that his use of ANI’s footage falls under “fair use” for criticism or review, a defense that may resurface in this case.