The Delhi High Court has extended temporary protection to Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan, restraining various parties from exploiting his identity—including his name, image, voice, and other distinctive traits—for financial gain without his permission.
The Court passed an ex parte ad interim injunction, observing that Bachchan had presented sufficient initial evidence to establish a case. The bench stated that unauthorized use of his personality attributes could mislead the public into associating him with products or services he has not endorsed.
“The unauthorised misuse of Abhishek Bachchan’s name and personality attributes constitutes infringement and creates confusion in the public perception of endorsement,” the Court remarked. It further noted that such misuse could result in irreparable harm to Bachchan’s goodwill, reputation, economic interests, and prestige if immediate action was not taken.
Restrictions On Content Circulation
The order directs the respondents to refrain from distributing or sharing any content that could dilute Bachchan’s public image. This applies to all formats, mediums, and technologies. The petition filed by Bachchan raised concerns over deepfake videos, manipulated GIFs, and sexually explicit material crafted from scenes of his films—all of which could damage his public standing.
The petition invoked Section 38B of the Copyright Act, 1957, which safeguards performers’ moral rights. The plea argued that such content not only exploits his performances but also degrades his dignity by portraying him in misleading and defamatory ways.
Specific URL-Based Takedown Orders
While hearing the matter, Justice Tejas Karia explained that platforms like Google could be directed to remove offending content, provided that URL-specific details are submitted for each defendant.
“We can ask Google to take down. But you have to give a URL specific to each defendant. YouTube, Amazon, and Flipkart are mentioned in the petition, but this order cannot be granted generally. It has to be divided defendant-wise,” the Court clarified.
Bachchan is represented by a team of lawyers including Advocates Pravin Anand, Ameet Naik, Madhu Gadodia, Dhruv Anand, and others.
Similar Case Involving Aishwarya Rai Bachchan
The Court also referenced a similar petition filed by actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, which was heard on September 9. Her case involves fraudulent use of her name in merchandise and impersonation by a fake entity called “Aishwarya Nation Wealth.” Justice Karia indicated that interim protection would likely be granted in her case as well to prevent misuse of her identity and deepfake-related exploitation.
The bench noted that while a consolidated order may seem desirable, reliefs must be tailored to individual defendants. Takedown directions would require URL-specific complaints or could be executed through the Blocking and Screening Instructions (BSI) framework.
The matter is scheduled to be heard again on January 15, 2026, where further directions regarding the misuse of celebrity images and online impersonation are expected to be considered.
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