Naga Chaitanya moves court against deepfake videos, seeks personality rights
What's the story
Telugu actor Naga Chaitanya has filed a petition in the Delhi High Court seeking protection of his personality rights from AI-generated content, deepfakes, and unauthorized merchandise. His legal team informed the court on Friday that several websites and social media pages are misusing his image in harmful ways. Senior advocate Vaibhav Gaggar represented Chaitanya in court and highlighted how many AI-generated videos and deepfake clips have shown the actor in objectionable situations.
Legal proceedings
Actor linked to controversies and false claims online
Gaggar told the court that several videos falsely associated Chaitanya with his former wife, alleging that he had cheated on her and sabotaged her career. "This is trolling, this is not fair criticism," Gaggar said. The actor also claimed that several pornographic websites used his name in domain names, tags, and search results, creating a false connection between him and obscene content online.
Legal action
New fake content appears every day, actor's team stated
The actor's team also requested a dynamic injunction from the court, stating that new fake and harmful content keeps appearing online every day. "Strong protection is needed to stop future misuse quickly," they said. Justice Jyoti Singh heard the matter and also looked into this request. The actor's public image and commercial value were reportedly being damaged due to fake videos, voice-cloned clips, and manipulated content shared online for views and money.
Judicial observation
Court acknowledged need for limits in public discourse
During the hearing, the court observed that while public figures are subject to greater scrutiny, there must still be reasonable boundaries. "You are in public life, you are certainly more vulnerable than the rest of the people, but it has its limitations," observed the court. The case also noted that several legal notices had already been sent to platforms and intermediaries, but many either failed to respond adequately or removed only portions of the content.
Court proceedings
Next hearing scheduled for September 30
Lawyers representing YouTube informed the court that some of the AI-generated videos flagged by Chaitanya had already been taken down. However, they argued that certain links were related to news reports, which could be subject to different legal standards. After hearing all sides, the Delhi High Court issued summons and said it would pass an interim order to protect the actor's personality rights during the proceedings. The next hearing is scheduled for September 30.