Bollywood star Kartik Aaryan has recently secured protections for his personality rights through an interim order from the Bombay High Court. This ruling prevents unauthorized use of his identity across digital platforms, including websites and social media, as well as by unidentified individuals without his permission.
The High Court examined certain AI-generated content that appeared damaging to Aaryan’s image and remarked on the necessity for the immediate removal of such material from public platforms. The judge pointed out that these AI chatbot platforms enable users to interact with a chatbot that mimics Aaryan, thereby exploiting his likeness, voice, and image for commercial gain without his consent.
Since 2024, the Bombay High Court has extended similar relief to at least six other public figures. Personality rights encompass a celebrity’s name, voice, signature, and image—essentially any aspect that makes them recognizable to the public.
On April 15, a single-judge bench led by Justice Sharmila U Deshmukh issued the order, which was later made public. This action was in response to an interim application filed by Aaryan concerning his Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) infringement lawsuit against both national and international social media and e-commerce platforms. Aaryan alleged that these entities were exploiting his online persona and misappropriating his personality rights, including his name and likeness.
Through his legal representatives, senior advocate Birendra Saraf, along with advocates Ameet Naik and Madhu Gadodia, Aaryan sought to safeguard his personality, privacy, and moral rights, while also requesting protection against violations of his registered trademark, “Kartik Aaryan.” He claimed that his rights were being misused through unauthorized merchandise, misleading advertisements, counterfeit booking websites, illegitimate social media profiles, and deepfake videos.
Justice Deshmukh noted that Aaryan is a prominent film personality whose brand and public image are significant assets, over which he has exclusive rights. The judge emphasized that the evidence presented suggested a false connection to Aaryan, posing a risk of misleading the public, thus warranting an urgent restraining order.
The judge concluded that the evidence presented indicated a probable violation of Aaryan’s publicity and privacy rights, asserting that unauthorized commercial use of his identity could undermine his brand value. The court has scheduled further proceedings for June 10 and mandated that intermediaries remove or delist the objectionable content within 36 hours of receiving notification from Aaryan or his representatives.
Omkar Gokhale, a journalist for The Indian Express based in Mumbai, specializes in legal and judicial reporting, providing trustworthy coverage of developments from the Bombay High Court and the Supreme Court, particularly those significant to Maharashtra and its institutions.
