Delhi High Court Grants Interim Protection To Aishwarya Rai In Personality Rights Case

(MENAFN- Live Mint) New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has granted interim protection to Bollywood actor Aishwarya Rai Bachchan after she filed a plea alleging unauthorized use of her name and image by rogue websites.

Justice Tejas Karia restrained the infringers from violating Rai's personality, publicity, or moral rights and from passing off their goods and services as endorsed by her. Although the order was issued on 9 September, the details were released today.

The interim protection will remain in place until the next hearing on 15 January 2026.

The court barred the creation or sharing of products (T-shirts, mugs, posters) and content (images, videos, audio-visual) using technologies like AI, deepfakes, or face morphing of the actress

E-commerce platforms and Google must remove infringing URLs within 72 hours, the court said.

The ministry of electronics and information technology and the department of technology have also been instructed to issue directions to block and disable the URLs.

The court observed that Rai is“one of the most celebrated personalities in the Indian entertainment industry” who has endorsed numerous brands and earned significant goodwill and reputation.

“Any infringement of the Plaintiff's Personality Rights, while causing confusion among the public regarding endorsement or sponsorship of a product or service by the Plaintiff, will also lead to dilution of her reputation and goodwill,” the order noted.

With the interim protection, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan joins the ranks of celebrities like Amitabh Bachchan, Anil Kapoor, and Jackie Shroff, who have previously secured safeguards for their personality rights. The move highlights a growing trend of celebrities turning to courts to protect their names, images, and catchphrases from unauthorized online exploitation that threatens both their brand value and commercial interests.

A day after Rai moved court, her husband and actor Abhishek Bachchan also filed a similar petition seeking protection of his personality rights. The court has yet to pass an interim order in his case.

Rai's petition, filed against aishwaryaworld and other infringers, highlighted that unauthorized use of her persona forms part of a wider trend of online fraud targeting celebrities' identities.

Her lawyers, noted that the website published personal information, unauthorized images, and sold merchandise such as T-shirts priced up to ₹3,100 and mugs featuring her likeness, creating a false impression of endorsement. They also cited a fraudulent“wealth fund” that used Rai's image and name to solicit money, despite her having no association with the entity.

Also Read | Mint Explainer: How celebrities are confronting deepfakes, copyright concerns

The petition stated:“The defendants' use of the plaintiff's image, likeness, and name in a repugnant manner-whether by placing her in obscene settings or reducing her to cheap humour-subjects her to humiliation and reputational harm.”

Last year, the court barred unauthorized use of Jackie Shroff's sobriquets“Jackie” and“Jaggu Dada,” as well as his catchphrase“bhidu.” Similarly, in 2023, the court protected Anil Kapoor's iconic“jhakaas.”

Personality rights allow individuals, especially public figures, to safeguard their identity from unauthorized commercial use and protect their dignity and privacy.

While India has no standalone law on personality rights, the Supreme Court and high courts recognize these rights under Article 21, and celebrities can also register their names, voices, and signatures under the Trade Marks Act, 1999.

Also Read | Copyright theft by AI? Don't confuse creativity with dissemination

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