Karan Johar moves Delhi HC against people selling unauthorized merch
What's the story
Filmmaker Karan Johar has filed a petition in the Delhi High Court, seeking protection of his personality rights. The move comes after the court granted similar protection to actors Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan in recent days. The plea, heard on Monday, seeks to restrain entities from selling merchandise using Johar's name and images without his consent.
Legal action
Defendants in Johar's plea
Johar's plea has listed several defendants, including Bollywood Tee Shop, Tee Public, Ice Poster, Top Pix, Wallpaper Cave, Wallpaper.com, GM Authentic Autos LLC, and JS Sham Rock. It also names Etsy as a defendant. The suit further includes YouTube channels AI MH 39, Eat with Celebrities, and Enjoy with Celebrities, among others. Google LLC and the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology are also named in the suit.
Personality rights
What are personality rights?
Personality rights, or the right to publicity, allow individuals to protect, control and profit from their image, name or likeness. These rights are especially important for public figures like Johar and the Bachchans as they help maintain their goodwill and reputation in the industry. According to PTI, Justice Manmeet PS Arora heard Johar's plea and sought some clarifications from his counsel. He has listed the matter for 4:00pm for further proceedings.
Similar case
Recap of Rai Bachchan and Bachchan's cases
On September 9, the former Miss World reached the court to protect her personality rights and prevent the unauthorized use of her name, images, and AI-generated pornographic material. A day later, a similar plea was filed by her actor husband. Soon after, the Delhi High Court restrained several websites and online platforms from using their name or images for commercial gain without their consent.