The Delhi High Court has granted interim protection to Telugu actor Vijay Sai Deverakonda against the unauthorised commercial use of his name, photographs, voice and other distinctive personality attributes, including through artificial intelligence (AI) and deepfake technology. Justice Vikas Mahajan directed online platforms and other entities to remove identified infringing content and restricting the unauthorised exploitation of the actor’s persona.
Background
Deverakonda approached the Court alleging that various online accounts, websites, mobile applications and e-commerce listings were using his identity without authorisation. The material identified in his suit included T-shirts, mugs, posters, wallpapers, digital content and applications bearing his name or image.
He also raised concerns about AI-generated and morphed videos allegedly portraying him in obscene and derogatory situations. The actor sought protection against the commercial exploitation of his identity and content that could damage his reputation.
After examining the plaint and accompanying documents, the Court found a prima facie case for interim protection. It observed that the actor’s public standing and associated personality attributes carried commercial value and warranted protection against unauthorised exploitation.
The Court stated:
“There can be no dispute that plaintiff’s stature inherently grants him proprietary rights over his personality and associated attributes and gives him the exclusive rights to use the personality attributes for commercial purposes and consequently, the right to protect various attributes of his persona from unauthorized use or exploitation by third-parties.”
The Court also distinguished between protection of the actor’s identifiable personality and a separate claim concerning the word “Rowdy”. It declined to grant an ex-parte interim injunction for passing off based solely on that colloquial name, observing that evidence would be needed to establish that the expression had acquired a distinct meaning exclusively associated with him. However, using AI-generated or morphed images of the actor alongside the expression could fall within the scope of personality-rights violations.
Pending the next hearing, the Court restrained the defendants and other covered persons from unauthorised exploitation of Deverakonda’s identifiable personality attributes, including his name, initials, voice, photographs, signatures and performance, through AI, deepfakes, face morphing and other technologies.
Meta, Google and X were directed to remove or disable access to the identified content. Online marketplaces and domain-name registrars were directed to take specified action within 72 hours of receiving the order. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and the Department of Telecommunications were also directed to issue necessary directions to internet and telecom service providers to block access to the listed infringing websites.
The Court clarified that affected websites or accounts that were not primarily infringing could approach it for appropriate modification of the injunction.
The Court granted the interim injunction and related directions until the next date of hearing.
The matter was listed before the Joint Registrar on December 3, 2026, and before the Court on February 2, 2027.
Case Details
- Case Title: Vijay Sai Deverakonda v. Ashok Kumar John Doe & Ors.
- Case Number: CS(COMM) 1098/2026
- Judge: Justice Vikas Mahajan
- Decision Date: October 8, 2026
