Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament Raghav Chadha, representing Punjab, raised pressing concerns during the Zero Hour on December 18, 2025, in the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament, urgently calling for comprehensive amendments to the outdated Copyright Act of 1957 to protect the rapidly growing community of digital content creators in India whose livelihoods are increasingly vulnerable.

Chadha emphasized that millions of Indians have transitioned into roles as digital content creators, including educators imparting knowledge online, reviewers analyzing products and media, satirists using humor for social commentary, entertainers producing engaging videos, musicians sharing original compositions, and influencers building communities, with platforms such as YouTube and Instagram serving as essential professional tools rather than mere hobbies.

He underscored that these online channels and pages constitute primary sources of income and valuable intellectual assets for creators, representing the culmination of extensive hard work, dedication, and creativity, yet they remain precariously exposed to sudden disruptions that can erase years of effort in moments.

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The parliamentarian highlighted the problematic nature of arbitrary copyright strikes issued by platform algorithms, where even minimal use of copyrighted material—lasting just 2-3 seconds—for legitimate purposes like commentary, criticism, parody, educational content, or news reporting can trigger severe penalties, including complete channel demonetization or permanent deletion.

The AAP leader criticized the 1957 Act as outdated, enacted in an era predating the internet, computers, and digital platforms, lacking definitions for digital creators and confining fair dealing provisions to traditional media like books, magazines, and journals; he presented three specific demands: defining digital fair use encompassing transformative, incidental, proportionate, educational, public-interest, and non-commercial applications; introducing a proportionality doctrine to prevent full content takedowns over minor infringements; and mandating due process prior to any removals.

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