&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "After Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan, Karan Johar moves to Delhi HC over personality rights")
Filmmaker Karan Johar has become the latest Bollywood celebrity to approach the Delhi High Court seeking protection of his personality rights, after Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan. Johar filed a petition requesting the court to restrain online platforms, websites and individuals from misusing his name, images, or persona for commercial gain. His counsel, Senior Advocate Rajshekhar Rao, argued that the director’s identity was being exploited for purposes such as fundraising and merchandise sales without his consent.
What did the Delhi HC say?
The case was heard by Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora, who observed that not every fan page or meme can be subjected to takedown orders. The judge noted that a distinction must be drawn between harmless memes, disparagement, and outright commercial exploitation.
“Please specifically identify where merchandise is being sold or domain names are being misused. The Court cannot pass an open-ended injunction against every fan page,” Justice Arora stated. The filmmaker's counsel maintained that celebrities should have the right to control how their identity is used, emphasizing that “the more viral memes go, the more money platforms make,” which can impact reputation and goodwill.
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What was the Bachchans' Case?
Johar’s petition comes soon after the court restrained several websites from misusing the attributes of Abhishek Bachchan’s persona, including his name, images, and signature. In a September 10 order, Justice Tejas Karia held that such unauthorized use amounted to dilution of reputation and goodwill. Similarly, Aishwarya Rai was recently granted judicial protection against platforms employing artificial intelligence tools to generate and monetize her likeness without consent.
The Delhi High Court indicated it may order takedowns of specific pages proven to exploit Johar’s identity for profit. If similar issues arise in the future, he has been advised to flag them with social media platforms, and in case of inaction, approach the court again. The matter will continue later today, with the Court expected to issue interim directions.
