Motorola has filed a lawsuit in India against social media platforms and content creators over posts it claims are defamatory, raising concerns it could moderate critical coverage of the company, experts say.
The lawsuit, filed in a Bengaluru court and obtained by TechCrunch, names platforms such as X, YouTube and Instagram along with dozens of content creators and seeks the removal of the content as well as a broader curtailment of what it describes as false or defamatory material related to the company’s devices.
In its more than 60-page filing, Motorola sought a permanent injunction barring the defendants from posting or sharing what it describes as false or defamatory content about its products, including reviews, videos, comments and boycott campaigns.
The complaint cites hundreds of posts on the platforms, including videos advocating device problems and phones catching fire. However, it also targets adverse product reviews and user comments that the company claims are false or defamatory.
Two content creators named in the lawsuit, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said they only learned of the case after receiving an email from X’s support team on Tuesday notifying them that their account had been referred to the process.
In the email, X said he had received the lawsuit and was informing the user for transparency, suggesting they could seek legal counsel, dispute the case or remove the content.
One of the creators said the post referenced in the suit was about an incident they had verified, adding that the company had replaced the device. “The brand is just mentally harassing us and they want to lead by example,” the creator told TechCrunch.
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“It will affect,” they said. “I’ll stop covering good places too.”
India is Motorola’s second-largest market after the US, accounting for about 21% of its global smartphone shipments in 2025, according to International Data Corporation (IDC) data. More than 90% of its devices shipped in India were in the sub-$250 category, IDC data showed – a price band where consumers often rely on online reviews and word of mouth.
Free speech advocates argue that Motorola’s complaint is overblown.
“When a complaint brings together hundreds of URLs and seeks a blanket injunction against all of them, it breaks down charges that the law has traditionally kept separate,” said Apar Gupta, an attorney and founding director at the New Delhi-based digital rights group Internet Freedom Foundation. He warned of a wider “chilling effect”, saying many creators may choose to remove content rather than face the cost and stress of legal proceedings.
“The category at greatest risk is precisely the one that consumers depend on the most: independent product review that holds manufacturers accountable for real safety and quality issues,” he told TechCrunch.
Madhav Sheth, CEO of local smartphone brand Ai+ and former head of Realme India, defended the tougher action against what he described as misinformation, saying on social media that “freedom of speech is not a license to defame”. He warned of legal action against “fake news or unverified ‘exhibits'”. His remarks drew criticism online from users who said they could discourage legitimate product reviews.
Others in the industry took a different view. Sunil Raina, CEO of Lava International; he said to X: “When faced with criticism, you have two choices: bully or improve. One silences feedback, the other silences the need for it.”
The case may signal a broader shift in how brands respond to online criticism in India. The creator quoted above said they expect more such legal actions in the future as evolving rules around online content increase liability for creators and platforms — a trend that reflects recently proposed changes to India’s IT norms with the aim of stricter supervision of online content.
Motorola did not respond to a request for comment. Google, Meta and X also did not respond.
