Filmmaker Karan Johar has approached the Delhi High Court seeking protection of his personality rights and an injunction against individuals and entities allegedly engaged in selling merchandise bearing his name without authorisation.
Johar’s plea comes in the wake of the Court’s earlier order granting similar relief to actors Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, where online platforms and websites were restrained from commercially exploiting their names, photographs, and other personal attributes without consent.
In that matter, the Court had observed that the attributes forming part of Abhishek Bachchan’s identity, including his name, images, and even his signature, were being exploited through technological tools, including artificial intelligence, by various defendant platforms. Justice Tejas Karia, in the order dated September 10, noted that such unauthorised use had the direct effect of diminishing the reputation and goodwill attached to the actor’s persona, thereby justifying an ex-parte injunction.
The Court emphasised that the right to publicity, often termed personality rights, is a legally recognised right enabling individuals to protect, control, and commercially benefit from their identity and public image.
In the Bachchan case, the suit had arrayed multiple defendants, including e-commerce entities such as Bollywood Tee Shop, Tee Public, Ice Poster, Top Pix, Wallpaper Cave, Wallpaper.com, GM Authentic Autos LLC, JS Sham Rock, and Etsy. In addition, several YouTube channels, AI MH 39, Eat with Celebrities, Enjoy with Celebrities, All In 1, and Game with Giri, along with Google LLC, the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, and the Department of Telecommunications were also named as parties.
Johar now seeks similar judicial protection, contending that unauthorised commercial exploitation of his persona without prior consent is violative of his right to publicity and adversely affects his goodwill and professional reputation. The matter is expected to be heard by the High Court in due course.
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Picture Source : <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Satyarth_Nayak_with_Karan_Johar.jpg">Wikifeluda</a>, <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons
