Delhi High Court orders takedown of obscene content misusing R Madhavan’s identity
The development followed a recent clarification by the judge that individuals seeking urgent takedown of objectionable online content must first approach the relevant social media platforms before directly seeking judicial intervention.
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The Delhi High Court has passed an interim injunction protecting the personality rights of actor R Madhavan, directing the takedown of obscene material and restraining the sale of commercial merchandise using his name, image and likeness, according to a report by Live Law.
Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora passed an ad interim order on Monday, December 22, restraining the misuse of the actor’s personality traits, including his name and image, and granting relief against the circulation of objectionable content.
Senior advocate Swathi Sukumar appeared on behalf of Madhavan and informed the court that the defendants had posted deepfake and AI-generated content relating to the actor, including fake trailers. Kumar also informed the court that the actor had already approached social media platforms seeking removal of the infringing material before filing the suit.
The development followed a recent clarification by the judge that individuals seeking urgent takedown of objectionable online content must first approach the relevant social media platforms before directly seeking judicial intervention.
While granting relief, the court directed an injunction against the sale of merchandise listed under items one, three and four, and against item two on the grounds of obscenity, Live Law reported.
Similar suits seeking protection of personality rights have previously been filed by Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, cricketer Sunil Gavaskar and actors Salman Khan and NTR Junior. Coordinate benches of the Delhi High Court have also passed orders safeguarding the personality rights of The Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Telugu actor Nagarjuna, Bollywood actors Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan, and film producer Karan Johar.
Justice Arora has also recently granted protection to journalist Sudhir Chaudhary, who sought relief against the circulation of allegedly misleading and AI-generated videos on social media. In another matter, the judge passed a John Doe order protecting the personality rights of podcaster Raj Shamani, observing that he is a widely recognised figure in India, particularly in the content creation space.
