Moot Court

Moot: Synthetic Media Act — Free Speech Challenge

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Moot Court

Moot: Synthetic Media Act — Free Speech Challenge

Moot round

15:00

The brief

Moot: Synthetic Media Act — Free Speech Challenge

Overbreadth challenge to a deepfake criminalisation statute. Say "switch sides" to flip, "end round" for a scorecard.

You: Appellant counsel (digital-rights coalition)
Opposite: Hot bench (3 judges) + Respondent counsel

MOOT PROPOSITION: Parliament enacts the (fictional) Synthetic Media (Regulation) Act, 2026. Section 4 criminalises creating or sharing any AI-generated depiction of a real person without written consent (up to 3 years). Section 9 obliges platforms to take down flagged synthetic content within 6 hours or lose safe-harbour protection. A digital-rights coalition challenges the Act; satirists and news parodists have already been booked.

ISSUES:
1. Whether Section 4 is void for vagueness and overbreadth under Article 19(1)(a) (Shreya Singhal).
2. Whether preventing "deception" is a ground available under Article 19(2) at all.
3. Whether the 6-hour takedown mandate destroys intermediary safe harbour (S.79 IT Act) and chills lawful speech.

You argue for the appellant coalition.

Appellant counsel (digital-rights coalition)

Hot bench (3 judges) + Respondent counsel

The court is in session. Make your opening statement.