In a significant legal intervention to safeguard celebrity publicity rights, the Delhi High Court has restrained several platforms and individuals from the unauthorized use of Bollywood actor Sonakshi Sinha’s image, voice, and persona. Justice Jyoti Singh, in an interim order, held that no third party has the right to exploit a celebrity’s attributes without explicit consent, particularly through emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence.
The matter reached the court through a lawsuit filed by Sonakshi Sinha, who sought to protect her personality and publicity rights. The actor alleged that her name, likeness, and voice were being misappropriated by various entities for both commercial and non-commercial gains. The plea highlighted a growing trend of digital impersonation and the sale of unauthorized goods that falsely associated the actor with various brands and products.
The plaintiff argued that her persona was being exploited across multiple digital formats. Sinha specifically pointed out that two US-based platforms had deployed AI-driven chatbots that impersonated her. These bots were reportedly used to generate lewd and obscene content, causing grave harm to her public image.
Furthermore, the actor submitted that several unknown entities—referred to as ‘John Does’—were selling inferior quality merchandise, including apparel and accessories, bearing her face and name. She contended that these entities were “encashing her goodwill and reputation” by misleading the public into believing she endorsed these products.
Justice Jyoti Singh, upon reviewing the evidence, noted that the actor had established a prima facie case for the protection of her attributes. The court observed that the defendants were unlawfully exploiting various elements of Sinha’s persona for “unjustified commercial gains.”
The court expressed particular concern regarding the use of Generative AI. The judgment noted that hosting images with “inappropriate clothing and obscene content using AI tools caused irreparable damage to her reputation.”
Addressing the commercial aspect, the court emphasized the economic value of a celebrity’s identity. Justice Singh observed:
“A celebrity’s right of endorsement is a major source of livelihood that cannot be destroyed by permitting unlawful dissemination, such as the sale of merchandise or other articles, bearing the faces or other attributes of their persona, without their lawful authorization.”
The court further noted that the unauthorized use of a celebrity’s name for selling inferior quality goods could permanently tarnish their hard-earned goodwill.
Passed on March 20, the interim order restrained 17 defendants, including ‘John Does,’ from misappropriating or exploiting Sonakshi Sinha’s name, image, voice, likeness, or any other attribute of her persona.
The injunction specifically covers the use of technology such as:
- Artificial Intelligence and Generative AI
- Machine Learning and Deepfakes
- AI Chatbots and Face Morphing
The court further restrained the defendants from selling merchandise or passing off goods by misrepresenting an association with the actor. To ensure immediate compliance, the court directed the infringing parties to take down the specified weblinks within 36 hours of the order.
