Delhi HC Shields Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s Personality Rights from AI Misuse, Fake Products

Speedy Summary

• The Delhi High Court has issued directions against the unauthorized commercial and online exploitation of Bollywood actor Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s identity.
• Justice Tejas Karia emphasized that using a celebrity’s likeness without consent causes both commercial harm and violates their privacy and dignity.
• Ms. Rai Bachchan highlighted instances where websites had circulated AI-generated pornographic visuals superimposing her face, along with selling unauthorized merchandise featuring her image/persona.
• The court restrained defendants from creating or distributing any products (e.g., T-shirts, mugs, posters) or digital content using her likeness through AI, deepfake technology, face morphing, or similar means without consent.
• The judge stated this exploitation undermines both personality rights for protecting attributes from commercialization and dignity impacted by privacy violations. Courts have an obligation to intervene in such cases to prevent harm.
• Separately, actor Abhishek Bachchan also petitioned the same court regarding unauthorized use of his image/likeness in fake videos and content; a ruling on his plea is awaited.

Indian Opinion Analysis
The Delhi High Court’s order underlines critical legal principles surrounding privacy and personality rights in an era dominated by digital manipulation technologies like deepfakes and AI-influenced content creation. By addressing cases involving Ms. Rai Bachchan-and similarly for Mr. Abhishek Bachchan-the judiciary acknowledges how public figures are increasingly vulnerable to misuse of their identities for illicit monetary gain or damaging publicity campaigns.

This intervention could set a precedent for safeguarding celebrity interests while balancing free expression in advancing technologies-raising ethical questions about responsible request of digital tools globally but particularly within India’s nascent AI regulatory framework. Protecting individuals’ dignity alongside mitigating commercial harm effectively strengthens personal autonomy amidst the fast-evolving tech landscape.

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