What Are Personality Rights?

Why are film stars approaching courts to protect their Personality Rights in the age of AI?

In the digital era, Artificial Intelligence (AI), social media, and deepfake technology have made the distinction between reality and imitation extremely thin. An ordinary person often cannot even understand whether a video is real or AI-generated.

With the help of AI tools, it has become very easy to copy a person’s—especially a celebrity’s—image, voice, and style.

For this reason, film stars and well-known public figures have started approaching courts to protect their Personality Rights.

What Are Personality Rights?

Personality Rights are legal rights provided by law that are directly connected to a person’s identity and personality.

What Do Personality Rights Include?

• Name

• Photograph or video

• Voice

• Signature

• Gestures, expressions, and style

• Famous dialogues or catchphrases

Under these rights, no one is allowed to use the above elements—especially for commercial purposes—without the person’s consent.

Is There a Separate Law for Personality Rights in India?

Although there is no separate law specifically for “Personality Rights” in India, courts have protected these rights by linking them with:

• Indian Constitution

  • Article 21 (Right to Privacy)

• Copyright Act, 1957

• Trademark Act, 1999

• Law of Torts (Passing Off & Defamation)

Along with this, courts also rely on important judicial precedents from time to time, such as:

• R. Rajagopal Case (1994)

• Rajinikanth Case (2015)

• Anil Kapoor Case (2023)

What Is the Biggest Threat to Personality Rights?

Using AI and deepfake tools, anyone’s—especially a celebrity’s—face or voice can be cloned to create fake audio or video.

Such content is often used for:

• 📌 Spreading misinformation

• 📌 Creating obscene or defamatory videos

• 📌 Using fake endorsements and advertisements

This causes serious damage to a celebrity’s personality and brand value.

Celebrities Who Approached Courts for Personality Rights

• Amitabh Bachchan – Sought court protection against misuse of his name, voice, and image.

• Anil Kapoor – Protection for his face, voice, and the dialogue “Jhakkas”.

• Jackie Shroff – Protection for the word “Bhidu” and his unique style.

• Arijit Singh – Bombay High Court restrained AI cloning of his voice.

• Aishwarya Rai Bachchan & Abhishek Bachchan – Approached court against AI-generated fake obscene videos.

• Shah Rukh Khan – Against unauthorized use of name and identity.

• Ajay Devgn – Protection of name and public image.

• Akshay Kumar – Legal action against AI deepfakes and fake advertisements.

• Karan Johar – Petition in Delhi High Court against deepfake and digital manipulation.

• Jaya Bachchan – Against misuse of images and videos.

• Salman Khan – Petition against commercial misuse of name, image, and voice.

• Akkineni Nagarjuna – Delhi High Court restraint against misuse of images/videos.

In Music

• Lata Mangeshkar – Protection of name and voice; continues to be a legal precedent.

In Sports

• Sunil Gavaskar – Delhi High Court ordered removal of fake social media posts.

• Sachin Tendulkar – Name and image trademark protection; action against fake ads.

Does the Court Ever Allow Use of a Celebrity’s Image, Audio, or Video Despite Personality Rights?

Article 19(1)(a) of the Indian Constitution guarantees freedom of speech and expression. According to courts:

• Use of a celebrity’s image, audio, or video is allowed for parody, satire, criticism, art, and news reporting.

• However, commercial use, advertisements, product promotions, or misuse through AI tools without consent is illegal.

Are Personality Rights Only for Celebrities?

Considering the risks posed by AI tools and modern digital technology, Personality Rights are not limited to celebrities. They are equally important for every ordinary citizen.

In conclusion, every individual has the right to protect their Personality Rights. Legal experts believe that India urgently needs a separate and clear law on this subject so that the identity and dignity of every person can be fully protected.