HC allows Preity Zinta to sue Google over deepfake content
What's the story
Bollywood actor and entrepreneur Preity Zinta has received permission from the Bombay High Court to file a suit against Google LLC and other online platforms, according to Bar and Bench. The suit is over alleged violations of her personality rights and copyright through deepfake videos, memes, manipulated images, AI-generated chatbot personas, and other digital content. The court's decision allows Zinta to pursue legal action despite some of the accused parties being based outside Mumbai.
Legal grounds
Allegations made by Zinta against online platforms
Zinta's petition alleged that various online platforms have created, uploaded, and disseminated AI-generated content that infringes upon her personality rights and copyright. The actor also claimed these actions have caused immense damage to her goodwill and reputation. Further, she accused the respondents of violating her moral rights under the Copyright Act of 1957.
Jurisdiction issue
Court's observations on jurisdiction issues
Zinta's counsel argued that since the actor resides and works for gain in Mumbai, her goodwill and reputation fell within the court's jurisdiction. The court noted that part of the cause of action had arisen outside its jurisdiction as the offending activities were hosted on online platforms, with several respondent parties having offices outside Mumbai. Despite this, the court granted Zinta relief under Clause XII of the Letters Patent to enable her to file a suit before it.
Celebrity trend
Other celebrities who have taken legal action against digital misuse
Zinta's move comes as part of a growing trend among Indian celebrities seeking legal relief against digital misuse. In the past two years, the Bombay High Court has granted similar relief to actors Kartik Aryan, Shatrughan Sinha, Shilpa Shetty, Akshay Kumar, and Suneil Shetty. The late veteran singer Asha Bhosle and singer Arijit Singh have also received such relief from the court.