{"id":65050,"date":"2025-09-25T11:26:25","date_gmt":"2025-09-25T05:56:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=65050"},"modified":"2025-09-25T11:26:25","modified_gmt":"2025-09-25T05:56:25","slug":"personality-rights-in-india-how-courts-protect-celebrities-in-the-digital-era","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/personality-rights-in-india-how-courts-protect-celebrities-in-the-digital-era\/","title":{"rendered":"Personality Rights in India: How Courts Protect Celebrities in the Digital Era"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><b>Personality Rights in India Latest News<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Delhi High Court has recently expanded protection of personality rights for Bollywood stars against unauthorised use of their images, voices, and likeness.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The court granted relief to Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan, following complaints of AI-generated misuse.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Earlier, Amitabh Bachchan, Anil Kapoor, and Jackie Shroff had secured such safeguards.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This growing series of petitions marks a significant judicial shift in recognising and enforcing personality rights in India\u2019s digital era.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Protection of Personality Rights in India<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Personality rights <\/span><b>protect an individual\u2019s name, likeness, image, voice, signature, and other unique traits from unauthorised commercial use<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Though <\/span><b>not codified under a single statute<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, they are safeguarded through judicial precedents and common law doctrines of privacy, defamation, and publicity rights.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Courts can grant injunctions, damages, or takedown orders to prevent misuse in ads, merchandise, AI-generated content, or digital platforms.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Statutory Safeguards<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Protection is dispersed across intellectual property laws.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Under the <\/span><b>Copyright Act, 1957<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, performers enjoy <\/span><b>exclusive rights (Section 38A)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><b>moral rights (Section 38B)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to control reproduction and object to distortion of their work.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><b>Trade Marks Act, 1999<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> allows celebrities to register names, signatures, or catchphrases as trademarks \u2014 a step taken by actors like Shah Rukh Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Ajay Devgn, and Amitabh Bachchan.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Additionally, the <\/span><b>common law tort of \u201cpassing off\u201d (Section 27)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> safeguards goodwill from misrepresentation or false endorsement, though it requires proof of reputation before courts grant relief.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Constitutional Backing<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Personality rights are rooted in <\/span><b>Article 21 of the Constitution<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which guarantees autonomy and privacy.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While celebrities may authorise the use of their identity in films, ads, or campaigns, unauthorised use \u2014 such as printing images on merchandise or creating AI deepfakes \u2014 strips them of control and compromises dignity and agency.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Court Rulings on Personality Rights in India<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The jurisprudence on personality rights in India began with the <\/span><b>1994 Supreme Court judgment in <\/b><b><i>R. Rajagopal v. State of Tamil Nadu<\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Court upheld an individual\u2019s right to control their identity, grounding it in the constitutional right to privacy.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In <\/span><b>2015, the Madras High Court<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> strengthened the doctrine in a case involving actor <\/span><b>Rajinikanth<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It ruled that infringement occurs even without proof of falsity, confusion, or deception if the celebrity is identifiable, thereby protecting him against unauthorised commercial use of his name, image, and style.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><b>Delhi High Court<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> has since played a pivotal role in addressing new threats posed by AI.\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In <\/span><b>2023<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, it granted <\/span><b>Anil Kapoor<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> broad protection over his persona, barring online misuse of his name, likeness, and catchphrase \u201cjhakaas.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">HC clarified that free speech allows parody and criticism but not commercial exploitation or tarnishment of reputation.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 2024, the same court protected <\/span><b>Jackie Shroff\u2019s personality rights<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> against misuse by e-commerce platforms and AI chatbots.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Later, in 2023, the Bombay High Court upheld <\/span><b>Arijit Singh\u2019s rights<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in a landmark ruling against AI voice cloning.\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The court condemned the unauthorised creation of artificial recordings, warning of the dangers generative AI poses to performers\u2019 dignity and control over their identity.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Balancing Personality Rights and Free Expression<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While courts in India have expanded protection of personality rights, they have also emphasised the need to balance them with <\/span><b>Article 19(1)(a).<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0Article 19 guarantees freedom of speech, including criticism, parody, and satire of public figures.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In <\/span><b>DM Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. v. Baby Gift House<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (2010), the Delhi High Court granted relief against unauthorised commercial exploitation of singer Daler Mehndi\u2019s likeness.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, it cautioned that parodies, caricatures, and lampooning would not ordinarily violate publicity rights.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This balance was reaffirmed in <\/span><b>Digital Collectibles PTE Ltd. v. Galactus Funware Technology Pvt. Ltd.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (2023), involving the unauthorised use of sports stars\u2019 likenesses.\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Court ruled that publicity rights cannot override free expression, especially when material is already in the public domain.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It clarified that legitimate uses of celebrity names or images \u2014 such as satire, art, scholarship, news, and music \u2014 fall under free speech and do not amount to infringement.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Concerns Around Personality Rights in India<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Experts highlight the urgent need for a comprehensive legislative framework to regulate personality rights, as current enforcement relies heavily on fragmented judicial precedents.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Without a clear regulatory regime, responses remain ad hoc and risk blurring the line between artistic freedom and infringement.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Clear exceptions must be established to prevent misuse of personality rights as a tool for censorship.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Experts also stress that personality rights are not exclusive to celebrities.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ordinary citizens, particularly women, face disproportionate harm through deepfakes, impersonation, and revenge pornography.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While courts often direct governments to block such harmful content, the sheer volume of violations makes consistent enforcement extremely difficult.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Source:<\/b> <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/what-are-personality-rights-and-how-have-courts-shielded-indian-celebrities-explained\/article70083371.ece#:~:text=At%20the%20heart%20of%20personality,control%20over%20their%20public%20identity.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">TH<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/cz08y4ppvr5o\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">BBC<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.barandbench.com\/columns\/fame-commerce-and-free-speech-rethinking-personality-rights-in-india\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">B&amp;B<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Explore how Indian courts safeguard celebrity personality rights against AI misuse, deepfakes, and unauthorised commercial use, balancing privacy, free speech, and digital challenges.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":65063,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[60,2881,22,59],"class_list":{"0":"post-65050","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","8":"tag-mains-articles","9":"tag-personality-rights-in-india","10":"tag-upsc-current-affairs","11":"tag-upsc-mains-current-affairs","12":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65050","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=65050"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65050\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/65063"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=65050"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=65050"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=65050"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}