Akkineni Nagarjuna Approaches Delhi HC To Protect Personality Rights

Telugu

superstar Akkineni Nagarjuna has approached the Delhi High Court seeking protection of his personality rights. In recent times, Aishwarya Rai and Karan Johar have won cases related to personality rights. This move comes amid growing concerns in the entertainment field over the misuse of celebrity identities.

Akkineni Nagarjuna Heads To Delhi High Court Over Protection Of Personality Rights

The matter is being heard by a bench headed by Justice Tejas Karia. Adv Pravin Anand representing Nagarjuna, said, ''He is an actor from the Telugu film industry, has acted in 95 films, two national awards, 9 nandi awards, 3 filmfare awards. He is a reputed person in the Telugu film industry He is called the celluloid scientist because of the versatile nature of his acting style.''

National award-winning director Karan Johar has also got relief from the Delhi High Court in his personality rights case, after first taking efforts to protect his identity from misuse. Before moving court, Karan Johar raised concerns about websites and social media platforms selling merchandise , t-shirts, or using his name, photo without his permission. Karan Johar’s petition follows similar suits by Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan, aiming to safeguard celebrities’ personality rights.

What Are Personality Rights?

Personality Rights refer to an individual’s legal entitlement to control the commercial and public use of their identity. They safeguard things that are uniquely linked to a person, including their name, image, likeness, voice, signature, or even trademark catchphrases, from being exploited without consent. This is divided into two segments: Right of publicity – protects against unauthorised commercial use, such as using a celebrity’s face in advertisements, selling merchandise with their image with a brand without permission. Right to privacy – protects them against intrusion into personal dignity, covering misuse through deepfakes, morphed images, endorsements, or other doctored content.