Following in the footsteps of his wife, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, actor Abhishek Bachchan has also approached the Delhi High Court seeking protection of his personality rights. The actor is seeking to prevent the unauthorized use of his name, image, voice, and other personal attributes by third parties for commercial gain.
Bachchan's legal action highlights the growing concern among celebrities regarding the misuse of their identities in the digital age. The plea emphasizes that numerous online platforms, including websites, YouTube channels, and e-commerce sites, are exploiting his identity for commercial purposes through merchandise sales, videos, wallpapers, AI-generated deepfakes, and other digital content.
Represented by senior advocate Pravin Anand, Bachchan has requested the Court to restrain such activities, asserting that they constitute trademark misuse, unfair competition, defamation, and irreparable harm to his reputation. During a brief hearing, Justice Tejas Karia indicated that the Court could direct intermediaries like Google, YouTube, Amazon, and Flipkart to remove infringing content once specific URLs are provided. However, the judge clarified that blanket orders would not be issued, and each infringer must be identified individually. Bachchan's counsel has assured the court that a list of infringing links will be submitted. The case has been registered as Abhishek Bachchan v. The Bollywood Tee Shop and ors..
The petition comes just days after Aishwarya Rai Bachchan filed a similar plea before the same court to protect her personality and publicity rights, particularly against AI-generated content and other forms of identity misuse. The court has indicated that an interim order would be issued to prevent the unauthorized use of her name, voice, and likeness.
In recent years, several actors and public figures have sought legal protection of their personality rights. In September 2023, actor Anil Kapoor secured a legal victory in the Delhi High Court against the unauthorized use of his likeness and voice through AI technologies. The court issued an injunction against 16 defendants, prohibiting them from exploiting Kapoor's name, image, voice, and other personal attributes for commercial purposes. Veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan has also taken legal action to safeguard his personality rights. In November 2022, the Delhi High Court ruled that Bachchan's name, image, and voice could not be used without his written permission.
Personality rights are legal safeguards that protect an individual's identity from being misused without consent. These rights allow people, especially public figures, to control how their name, image, voice, or distinctive traits are used in public or for commercial purposes. While India does not have a specific law for personality rights, courts have extended protection through precedents, relying on privacy and property rights under Article 21 of the Constitution and the Copyright Act, 1957.
