Delhi High Court Grants Permanent Protection to Amitabh Bachchan’s Personality Rights
The Delhi High Court has issued a final decree in favor of Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan, permanently restraining various entities and unidentified individuals from commercially exploiting his name, voice, image, or likeness without his explicit consent. Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav delivered the judgment, bringing a definitive end to the landmark legal battle that began with an interim injunction in November 2022.
The Court affirmed that an individual’s control over the commercial use of their identity falls under the “right to publicity.” Justice Kaurav observed that the unauthorized use of Bachchan’s persona created a misleading impression of official product endorsement. The legendary actor had sought legal recourse against the illicit exploitation of his identity across diverse mediums, including fake mobile apps such as the Amitabh Bachchan Video Call, fraudulent Kaun Banega Crorepati lottery messages, unauthorized general knowledge quiz books, commercial T-shirts, posters, and registered domain names like amitabhbachchan.in.
Crucially, the Court extended permanent protection against unidentified offenders commonly designated as “John Doe” defendants recognizing that anonymous digital entities often operate without easily traceable identities.
Four primary defendants Rajat Nagi, Manoj Publications, Tamatina, and Mahesh Patel reached a formal settlement with the actor. They formally acknowledged Bachchan’s privacy and publicity rights, agreeing to permanently delete the video-call application, withdraw the quiz books, cease poster sales, and surrender the domain name. The remaining non-responsive defendants were issued a summary judgment after failing to appear or contest the suit.
Merging the 2022 interim order into a final decree, the High Court clarified that Bachchan retains the right to initiate fresh legal action if any future violations of his personality rights occur. The ruling sets a significant legal precedent for safeguarding celebrity intellectual property in India. Stay tuned to know more about it and others only with us and if you have anything to share do comment below and share your thoughts.
