Suniel Shetty moves Bombay High Court against deepfake images
What's the story
Bollywood actor Suniel Shetty has filed a petition in the Bombay High Court seeking protection of his personality rights. The petition, reported by Bar and Bench, claims that several social media pages and gambling and astrology websites are using his image for business promotion without permission. The actor also mentioned an incident involving a deepfake image of him with his grandchild. His plea requested action against the sale of merchandise carrying his name/likeness without his consent.
Legal trend
Similar actions by other celebrities
Shetty's legal action is part of a growing trend among Indian celebrities seeking protection from digital exploitation of their identities. Recently, actors Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan also approached the court for safeguarding their personality and publicity rights. They were granted similar relief in response to their petitions.
Judicial precedents
Precedents in the Delhi High Court
The Delhi High Court has previously ruled in favor of other celebrities in similar cases. It restrained multiple websites and online platforms from misusing or misrepresenting Telugu actor Akkineni Nagarjuna's name, image, and likeness for unauthorized merchandising, AI-generated content, or pornographic material. Filmmaker Karan Johar also approached the court in September over the rampant misuse of his name and image on online platforms.
Notable instances
Big B, Anil Kapoor had filed such petitions years ago
In 2023, the court also restrained the misuse of actor Anil Kapoor's name, image, voice, and other attributes for commercial gain. The high court had earlier in November 2022 restrained persons at large from infringing veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan's personality and publicity rights. These cases highlight a growing concern among Indian celebrities about unauthorized use of their identities in the digital space.