The Delhi High Court on Monday stepped in to protect the personality and publicity rights of Bollywood actor R Madhavan, issuing interim restraints against several websites and online platforms accused of exploiting his name, image, and likeness for commercial gain without permission.
Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora ordered immediate injunctive relief, restraining multiple defendants from using Madhavan’s personality traits, including through artificial intelligence and deepfake technology. The court also directed the takedown of certain obscene content circulating online that allegedly misused the actor’s identity. A detailed interim order is expected to follow.
During the hearing, the court recorded that an injunction was being issued against the sale of merchandise by some defendants and against another defendant specifically on grounds of obscenity. The directions aim to halt what the court prima facie found to be unauthorized and harmful use of the actor’s persona.
Appearing for Madhavan, senior advocate Swathi Sukumar told the court that one of the defendants had gone as far as creating a fake trailer for a purported film titled Kesari 3, falsely suggesting an upcoming release featuring the actor. According to the submissions, the trailer and other material used AI-generated and deepfake content to mimic Madhavan, misleading viewers and trading on his reputation.
The court was also informed that Madhavan had first approached social media platforms to seek removal of the infringing content before initiating legal proceedings, but the misuse continued, prompting him to move the High Court.
