The Bombay High Court has granted interim protection to actor Shruti Haasan against the unauthorised use of her name, image, likeness and other aspects of her persona in AI-generated and manipulated online content.
Background of the Case
Haasan approached the Court alleging that her personality and publicity rights were being misused through deepfakes, morphed images, unauthorised merchandise and other digital content. She sought injunctions against entities involved in creating, hosting and circulating such material.
Justice Madhav Jamdar found that Haasan had established a strong initial case for protection of her rights. The Court noted that once deepfake material spreads online, it can be repeatedly copied and circulated, making monetary compensation alone inadequate.
“Such injury cannot be adequately compensated by monetary damages alone, as once deepfake content is disseminated across the internet, it is capable of unlimited replication and circulation.”
The Court also held that her personality, publicity and moral rights received protection under Articles 19(1)(a) and 21 of the Constitution.
Holding that a “very strong prima facie case” was made out, the Court granted interim relief and directed takedown of the content identified in Haasan’s plea.
It also proceeded against respondents who had failed to appear or file their replies despite opportunities.
