- Varun Dhawan sought Delhi High Court protection for his personality rights against AI misuse
- Delhi High Court to pass interim order banning unauthorized use of Dhawan's images and content
- Court warned against pornographic content, deepfakes, and merchandise without Dhawan's consent
Bollywood actor Varun Dhawan has approached the Delhi High Court seeking legal protection for his personality rights.
He has sought relief against unknown entities and defendants to stop them using his pictures and other personal traits to generate AI content or for commercial purposes, including merchandise, without his consent.
On Friday the Delhi High Court said it will pass an interim order to protect Varun Dhawan's personality and publicity rights. According to a Live Law report, Justice Jyoti Singh stated that any unauthorised use of material pertaining to the actor - whether pornographic content, deepfakes or merchandise - will be ordered to be taken down.
Senior Advocate Sandeep Sethi produced a series of links containing such infringing content relating to Varun Dhawan when he appeared in court for the actor.
The court has asked Sethi to file a detailed document with all the required links by today. Meanwhile, an interim order will be passed.
More Celebrities Seeking Similar Legal Protection
In recent months, several prominent personalities have approached courts seeking similar protection. Back in September, A-listers including Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan and filmmaker Karan Johar moved the Delhi High Court to safeguard their personality rights. Singers Kumar Sanu and Asha Bhosle also filed a plea seeking protection of his name, voice, vocal style and technique. Salman Khan, Naga Chaitanya, Anil Kapoor, Akshay Kumar, Arjun Kapoor are few more names who have joined the list.
The Delhi High Court has emerged as a pivotal forum in shaping this jurisprudence, recognising their exclusive right to control the commercial exploitation of their respective personas.
The Court's approach has extended beyond traditional misuse. It has taken strong note of AI-generated impersonations, deepfakes, and other forms of manipulated digital content that can distort a person's image and reputation with alarming speed and reach.
In several rulings, judges have emphasised that such impersonations violate privacy, dignity, and publicity rights, while cautioning that legitimate artistic expression, satire, news reporting, and commentary must remain protected within constitutional boundaries.
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