Shilpa Shetty moves Bombay HC to protect her personality rights
What's the story
Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty has filed a case in the Bombay High Court seeking protection of her personality rights. The suit reportedly names several websites that have illegally used or are using the actor's pictures for various promotional activities. The move also addresses the issue of Shetty's morphed images and videos surfacing online. Advocate Sana Raees Khan is representing the actor in this case.
Legal stance
'No individual or platform has the right...'
Khan told Hindustan Times, "Ms. Shilpa Shetty has built her reputation over decades of work and no entity can appropriate her name or likeness without consent." "The unauthorized commercial exploitation of her identity is an outright assault on her dignity and hard-earned reputation. No individual or platform has the right to exploit her reputation for unlawful commercial gain, and we will ensure strict enforcement of her personality rights."
Similar cases
Recent celebrity cases of personality rights protection
The recent move by Shetty comes in the wake of similar actions taken by other celebrities. The Delhi and Bombay High Courts have recently passed comparable orders for actors Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, and others. These orders reinforce stronger protections against unauthorized commercial use of their names, images, and voices. Other public figures who have sought such protections include filmmakers Karan Johar and Rishab Shetty; actors Jaya Bachchan, Hrithik Roshan, and Akkineni Nagarjuna.
Personality rights
Understanding personality rights: What are they?
Personality rights refer to an individual's legal entitlement to control the commercial and public use of their identity. These rights protect attributes such as a person's name, picture, likeness, voice, signature, or trademark catchphrases from unauthorized exploitation. They are typically divided into two branches: the Right of Publicity and the Right to Privacy. The former protects against unauthorized commercial exploitation while the latter guards against intrusion into personal dignity.