Aarohi Girish Dhumale
On 18th December, 2024, the Delhi High Court passed an order granting Senior Journalist Rajat Sharma rights over his personality to avoid its misuse.
The bench comprising of Justice Amit Bansal passed an order directing the removal of content generated through Artificial Intelligence (AI) and deepfake technology, while also prohibiting several defendants, including individuals and entities, from using or exploiting Sharma’s personality rights including his name, image, voice, photos, or videos for any personal or commercial purposes without his explicit written consent.
An ad interim injunction was granted by the Court, which directed Meta Platforms Inc. to promptly block, remove, or take down the infringing content of the Defendants, and to provide full details of the Defendants, including their name, address, email, phone number, and other relevant information.
The suit states that eight defendants are spreading inaccurate information and wrongfully using AI technology to create manipulated videos that feature altered, modified, and distorted images, voices, and other personal attributes of the plaintiff, Rajat Sharma.
It was also argued that the infringing content is being distributed either to promote purported drugs for diabetes, prostatitis, or joint pain, allegedly developed by certain prominent doctors or endorsed by the government, or as alleged health tips attributed to the plaintiff. This has led to a serious violation of the personality rights of the plaintiff.
Mr. Sharma is household name and any misrepresentation of his endorsement poses a significant risk of irreparable harm, not only to his personal reputation but also to the public. The people might purchase these brands blindly by trusting them to be endorsed by Mr. Sharma and risk their health.
The Plaintiff alleged that the defendants were unlawfully using and violating multiple registered trademarks of “INDIA TV”, as well as infringing on the copyright of footage from its show “AAJ KI BAAT: RAJAT SHARMA KE SAATH”.
Case Name: Rajat Sharma Vs. Tamara Doc & Ors
Case Number: CS(COMM) 1147/2024
Bench: Justice Amit Bansal