Amid growing backlash over copyright enforcement by news agency Asian News International (ANI), the Press Trust of India (PTI) has stepped forward with a proposal to support digital creators. In a post on X, PTI announced it will provide “highly affordable” access to its video content for individual YouTube creators and social media use.
PTI made the offer in light of recent challenges faced by YouTubers over copyright claims. “To support responsible content creation, we offer individual YouTube creators highly affordable access to PTI videos for your YouTube content and for use in other social media platforms,” it said, though exact pricing details were not disclosed.
This move comes as controversy brews between ANI and YouTuber Mohak Mangal, who accused the news agency of misusing copyright tools. In a video titled “Dear ANI”, Mangal alleged that ANI issued multiple strikes on his channel for using short clips and later demanded Rs 48 lakh plus GST to remove the claims. Under YouTube’s rules, three copyright strikes can lead to permanent channel deletion. ANI has not issued an official statement on the matter yet.
Creators have argued that their use of brief ANI clips constitutes “fair use”, a doctrine that permits limited use of copyrighted content for commentary, education or criticism. Although well-established in the US, Indian law follows “fair dealing” under the Copyright Act of 1952. However, courts in India have rarely ruled on fair dealing in the context of digital news content.