The Hyderabad City Civil Court has granted interim relief to veteran Telugu actor Chiranjeevi, safeguarding his personality rights against unauthorised use of his identity.
Court Restrains Platforms From Misusing Chiranjeevi's Identity
The court, led by Chief Judge S Sasidhar Reddy, issued an ad-interim injunction on September 26, prohibiting more than 30 online platforms, including e-commerce sites, YouTube channels, and digital outlets, from using Chiranjeevi's name, image, voice, or likeness without his consent.
The restriction extends to AI-generated and Metaverse formats, marking one of the first such judicial protections against emerging digital misrepresentations.
The actor discovered that several platforms were exploiting his persona by selling unauthorised merchandise such as T-shirts and posters, and by circulating AI-generated images, memes, and videos that distorted his identity for profit or publicity.
Court Recognises Chiranjeevi's Persona As Having High Commercial Value
The court acknowledged that Chiranjeevi is one of the most celebrated figures in Indian cinema. It noted that his identity, including popular monikers such as "Mega Star," "Chiru," "Annayya," and "Boss", carries immense cultural and commercial significance.
Judge Reddy observed that unauthorised use of such identifiers could mislead the public into assuming endorsement or association by the actor.
"The images appear to have been created by morphing the plaintiff's face and used for commercial purposes or propagating political, anti-national, or salacious content. The potential damage is irreparable," the court stated.
Interim Relief Granted
The injunction restrains defendants numbered 1 to 33 and 36 from using Chiranjeevi's likeness in any form-physical, digital, or future media including AI and the Metaverse.
However, interim relief was not extended to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and the Department of Telecommunications, as issuing prior notice to these government entities is mandatory under Section 80 of the Civil Procedure Code.
The court also waived the requirement for prior notice to other defendants, reasoning that the rapid dissemination of content online could lead to further harm if delays occurred. The matter is scheduled for its next hearing on October 27.
Celebrities Who Have Sought Protection Of Personality Rights
Several notable figures have taken legal steps similar to Chiranjeevi, including Amitabh Bachchan, Rajinikanth, Akshay Kumar, Hrithik Roshan, Kumar Sanu, Arijit Singh, Asha Bhosle, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Karan Johar, Akkineni Nagarjuna and more.
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