The Madras High Court on Monday granted interim relief to veteran actor and politician Kamal Haasan by temporarily restraining a Chennai-based clothing brand from using his name, photograph, title ‘Ulaganayagan’, and iconic dialogues for commercial purposes without his consent.
Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy passed the interim order while hearing a civil suit filed by Haasan against a firm named Neeye Vidai, which was allegedly marketing T-shirts and shirts bearing his image and intellectual property without authorisation.
Senior Advocate Satish Parasaran and Advocate Vijayan Subramanian, appearing for Haasan, argued that the unauthorised use of his identity and catchphrases amounted to a violation of his personality rights. They urged the court to pass orders protecting Haasan’s name, image, reputation, and distinctive elements associated with him from being exploited for profit.
Taking note of the submissions, the court issued a temporary injunction restraining the defendants from using Haasan’s persona for any commercial purpose. The court, however, clarified that the order does not bar the use of the actor’s image in cartoons, preserving space for artistic or satirical expressions.
The judge also directed Neeye Vidai to respond to the plea by filing a counter-affidavit. The matter has been listed for further hearing in February.
Further, since the lawsuit seeks to prevent any unauthorised third-party usage, the High Court instructed Kamal Haasan to publicise the interim order through advertisements in both Tamil and English newspapers, to ensure wider awareness of the restriction.
This case adds to the growing judicial recognition of celebrity personality rights in India, especially concerning unauthorised merchandise that leverages a public figure’s fame for commercial benefit.
