Motorola sues social platforms and creators over posts, raising speech concerns in India

Motorola has filed a suit successful India against societal media platforms and contented creators implicit posts it alleges are defamatory, raising concerns it could dampen captious sum of the company, experts say.

The lawsuit, filed successful a Bengaluru tribunal and obtained by TechCrunch, names platforms including X, YouTube, and Instagram on with dozens of contented creators, and seeks takedown of the contented arsenic good arsenic broader restraint connected what it describes arsenic mendacious oregon defamatory worldly related to the company’s devices.

In its implicit 60-page filing, Motorola has sought a imperishable injunction restraining the defendants from publishing oregon sharing what it describes arsenic mendacious oregon defamatory contented astir its products including reviews, videos, comments, and boycott campaigns.

The ailment cites hundreds of posts crossed platforms, including videos alleging instrumentality issues and phones catching fire. But it is besides targeting unfavorable merchandise reviews and idiosyncratic commentary that the institution alleges are mendacious oregon defamatory.

Two contented creators named successful the suit, who spoke connected information of anonymity, said they learned astir the lawsuit lone aft receiving an email from X’s enactment squad connected Tuesday notifying them that their relationship had been referenced successful the proceedings.

In the email, X said it had received the suit and was informing the idiosyncratic successful the involvement of transparency, suggesting they could question ineligible counsel, contention the lawsuit oregon region the content.

One of the creators said the station cited successful the suit related to an incidental they had verified, adding that the institution had replaced the device. “Brand is conscionable mentally harassing us, and they privation to acceptable an example,” the creator told TechCrunch.

“It volition impact,” they said. “I volition halt covering bully parts too.”

India is the second-biggest marketplace for Motorola aft the U.S., accounting for astir 21% of its planetary smartphone shipments successful 2025, according to information from International Data Corporation. More than 90% of its devices shipped successful India were successful the sub-$250 segment, the IDC information showed — a terms set wherever consumers often trust connected online reviews and word-of-mouth.

Free code advocates contend that Motorola’s ailment is over-reaching.

“When a azygous ailment pulls unneurotic hundreds of URLs and asks for a broad injunction against each of them, it collapses categories that the instrumentality has traditionally kept separate,” said Apar Gupta, a lawyer and founding manager astatine the New Delhi-based integer rights radical Internet Freedom Foundation. He warned of a broader “chilling effect,” saying galore creators whitethorn take to instrumentality down contented alternatively than look the outgo and accent of ineligible proceedings.

“The class astatine top hazard is precisely the 1 consumers astir beryllium on: autarkic merchandise disapproval that holds manufacturers accountable for genuine information and prime issues,” helium told TechCrunch.

Madhav Sheth, CEO of section smartphone marque Ai+ and erstwhile Realme India head, defended stricter enactment against what helium described arsenic misinformation, saying connected societal media that “freedom of code is not a licence for defamation.” He warned of ineligible enactment against “fake quality oregon unverified ‘exposés’.” His remarks drew disapproval online from users who said they could discourage morganatic merchandise reviews.

Others successful the manufacture took a antithetic view. Sunil Raina, managing manager of Lava International, said connected X: “When faced with criticism, you person 2 choices: intimidate oregon improve. One silences the feedback. The different silences the request for it.”

The lawsuit whitethorn awesome a broader displacement successful however brands respond to online disapproval successful India. The creator cited supra said they expect much specified ineligible enactment successful the future, arsenic evolving rules astir online contented summation liability for creators and platforms — a inclination reflected successful recently projected changes to India’s IT rules aimed astatine tightening oversight of online content.

Motorola did not respond to a petition for comment. Google, Meta, and X besides did not respond.