Delhi HC set to rule on protection of actor Nagarjuna's personality rights

New Delhi [India], September 25 (ANI): The Delhi High Court on Thursday indicated it would pass orders on whether to grant ad-interim relief to Telugu actor Akkineni Nagarjuna, who has approached the court seeking protection of his personality rights against misuse of his identity in the digital space. The plea came up before Justice Tejas Karia.

Appearing for the actor, Advocate Pravin Anand submitted that Nagarjuna, with 95 films to his credit and two national awards, enjoys a formidable reputation in the Telugu film industry.

Widely referred to as a celluloid scientist for his versatility, he is also celebrated for his role in Shiva, which Anand said changed the course of Indian cinema. Nagarjuna large online presence, over six million followers on X and more than eight million on Facebook, was also highlighted.

The petition flagged three categories of violations: pornographic content falsely attributed to him, unauthorised merchandising, and AI-generated material misusing his likeness.

Counsel pointed to YouTube shorts and paid promotional videos that use hashtags linked to Nagarjuna and warned that such content could further be used to train artificial intelligence models.

The case was argued primarily by Advocate Pravin Anand, assisted by advocates Vaishali Mittal, Vibhav Mithal, and Shivang Sharma. Senior Advocate Vaibhav Gaggar also appeared in the matter.

The Court observed that once material is uploaded on the internet, generative AI models can pick it up regardless of its authenticity. While noting that specific URLs, 14 identified so far, can be directed to be taken down, Justice Karia also remarked on the broader question of how long such injunctions can reasonably continue, given the enduring fame of public figures.

Recently, in line with its efforts to safeguard celebrity rights in the online ecosystem, the Delhi High Court restrained various websites and platforms from violating the publicity and personality rights of Bollywood actors Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan.

The Court had prohibited the respondents from misusing their names, images, voices, acronyms, likenesses, or any attributes uniquely identifiable with them. (ANI)

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