Actor Abhishek Bachchan moves Delhi High Court to protect his publicity, personality rights

Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan on Wednesday urged the Delhi High Court to protect his publicity and personality rights, and to restrain websites and platforms from using his image, likeness, persona and fake videos, including sexually explicit material. Justice Tejas Karia asked the counsel for Bachchan to answer the queries raised by the court and said the matter would be heard at 2:30 pm.

Advocate Pravin Anand, representing Bachchan, said the defendants are creating AI-generated videos of the actor and creating fake photos signed by him and also sexually explicit material.

Bachchan was also represented through advocates Ameet Naik, Madhu Gadodia and Dhruv Anand.

In September 2023, actor Anil Kapoor secured a significant 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, including AI platforms and websites, prohibiting them from exploiting Kapoor's name, image, voice, and other personal attributes for commercial purposes. This ruling set a precedent for protecting celebrity personality rights in the digital age.

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. This decision followed instances of unauthorized commercial use of his voice and image, including in fake lottery schemes.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has also approached the Delhi High Court to protect her publicity and personality rights amid concerns over the misuse of her identity in AI-generated content. The court indicated that an interim order would be issued to prevent the unauthorized use of her name, voice, and likeness, particularly in explicit fake videos and images.

(With PTI inputs)