Delhi HC protects Aishwarya Rai’s image, cracks down on AI misuse of celebrity rights

The Delhi High Court has granted interim protection to actor Aishwarya Rai Bachchan by restraining unauthorised use of her name, image and likeness. Justice Tejas Karia, while passing the order on September 9, observed that misuse of a celebrity’s identity not only causes financial loss but also affects their dignity.

The Court explained that personality rights—the right to control and protect one’s name, image, and persona—are closely linked with an individual’s autonomy and dignity. Any unauthorised exploitation, the Court noted, amounts both to commercial misuse and a violation of privacy.

The order came on Rai’s plea against certain websites, companies and individuals who allegedly used her photographs, including AI-generated morphed and pornographic content, without consent. Her counsel, Senior Advocate Sandeep Sethi, argued that these acts were damaging her reputation and goodwill, besides misleading the public.

Justice Karia stressed that courts cannot turn a blind eye to such violations. He noted that the defendants were using technological tools like AI, deepfakes and face morphing to profit illegally from Rai’s persona. The Court directed e-commerce platforms and Google to block identified links within 72 hours and share subscriber details to help trace the culprits.

The Ministry of Electronics and IT and the Department of Technology were also instructed to issue directions for blocking such content.

The Court’s interim order prevents the defendants from misusing Rai’s publicity rights, moral rights, or creating AI-generated content that dilutes her public image.

Rai’s husband, Abhishek Bachchan, has also approached the Court with a similar plea, on which orders are awaited.