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The Delhi High Court on Thursday (September 11) ruled in favour of actor Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, holding that unauthorised use of her name, image and likeness violates her right to privacy and dignity.
An ex parte ad interim injunction was passed, barring defendants — including known and unknown parties — from exploiting Rai Bachchan’s name, acronym "ARB", photographs and other attributes for commercial or personal gain across any medium.
Justice Tejas Karia restrained several entities from misusing the actor’s identity through technological tools, including artificial intelligence, deepfakes, face morphing and machine learning. The court noted that such misuse not only causes financial loss but also harms her reputation and
goodwill.
Personality rights allow a person to control and protect how their image, name and likeness are used, the court observed, adding that unauthorised use could mislead people into believing they endorse certain products or services.
The court directed Google LLC to take down URLs mentioned in the suit within 72 hours and submit subscriber information of operators in a sealed cover. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology was also asked to block the URLs within seven days.
Rai had moved the court seeking protection against online platforms illegally circulating AI-generated pornographic content and selling merchandise carrying her likeness. Senior advocate Sandeep Sethi, representing her, said "completely unreal intimate photographs" of the actor were being circulated, describing the misuse as "very unfortunate."
The suit named websites such as aishwaryaworld.com, apkpure.com, bollywoodteeshop.com, kashcollectiveco.com, e-commerce platform Etsy, chatbot site jainatorai.com,
several YouTube channels, Google LLC, the IT Ministry and the Department of Telecommunications as defendants.
The development comes a day after actor Abhishek Bachchan also approached the Delhi High Court seeking protection of his personality rights. In his petition, he raised issues similar to those highlighted by his wife, including unauthorised AI-generated content, deepfakes and the sale of merchandise misusing his persona.
In 2022, veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan had sought and secured a similar order
from the Delhi High Court, restraining unauthorised use of his celebrity status for the promotion of goods and services.
Also Read: Rajasthan HC stays cheating case FIR against Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone over 'defective' car ad
An ex parte ad interim injunction was passed, barring defendants — including known and unknown parties — from exploiting Rai Bachchan’s name, acronym "ARB", photographs and other attributes for commercial or personal gain across any medium.
Justice Tejas Karia restrained several entities from misusing the actor’s identity through technological tools, including artificial intelligence, deepfakes, face morphing and machine learning. The court noted that such misuse not only causes financial loss but also harms her reputation and
Personality rights allow a person to control and protect how their image, name and likeness are used, the court observed, adding that unauthorised use could mislead people into believing they endorse certain products or services.
The court directed Google LLC to take down URLs mentioned in the suit within 72 hours and submit subscriber information of operators in a sealed cover. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology was also asked to block the URLs within seven days.
The suit named websites such as aishwaryaworld.com, apkpure.com, bollywoodteeshop.com, kashcollectiveco.com, e-commerce platform Etsy, chatbot site jainatorai.com,
The development comes a day after actor Abhishek Bachchan also approached the Delhi High Court seeking protection of his personality rights. In his petition, he raised issues similar to those highlighted by his wife, including unauthorised AI-generated content, deepfakes and the sale of merchandise misusing his persona.
In 2022, veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan had sought and secured a similar order
Also Read: Rajasthan HC stays cheating case FIR against Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone over 'defective' car ad
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