New Delhi, Feb 24 (NationPress) The Delhi High Court has issued an ex parte ad-interim injunction in favor of singer Jubin Nautiyal, prohibiting various Artificial Intelligence (AI) platforms, online intermediaries, e-commerce sites, and unknown parties from exploiting his name, voice, image, and other personal attributes for commercial purposes.

A single-judge bench, led by Justice Tushar Rao Gedela, delivered the interim ruling in response to Nautiyal's commercial lawsuit aimed at safeguarding his personality and publicity rights from unauthorized AI-generated content, including voice cloning, deepfakes, chatbots, and the sale of infringing merchandise.

Justice Gedela noted, “The plaintiff presents a prima facie compelling case. Given his established popularity and reputation, the balance of convenience favors granting relief.” He emphasized that failing to provide immediate relief could lead to irreparable damage to the singer’s identity and reputation.

“The potential loss and harm cannot be quantified in monetary terms. The damage to Nautiyal's image and personality appears to be significant and imminent,” the order indicated.

Nautiyal's complaint asserts that his personality and publicity rights encompass his name, voice, singing style, vocal arrangements, mannerisms, image, caricatures, photographs, likeness, and signature.

The lawsuit alleges that certain defendants, including AI platforms, are utilizing machine learning and generative AI technologies to produce audio and visual replicas of the singer’s voice, facial expressions, and performance style without authorization.

Furthermore, Nautiyal indicated that these infringing activities extend to the sale of merchandise such as posters and digital art featuring his name and likeness on platforms like Flipkart and Amazon, misleadingly implying endorsement or association.

Upon reviewing the complaint and supporting documents, the Delhi High Court has prohibited the relevant defendants and John Doe entities from using or exploiting Nautiyal’s personality rights through advertisements, merchandise, domain names, AI voice models, synthesized voices, digital avatars, deepfakes, face morphing, or similar technological methods on online platforms, social media, websites, and the metaverse.

Justice Gedela also instructed online intermediaries and e-commerce platforms to remove or restrict access to infringing URLs, posts, videos, and applications, and to provide information regarding the parties responsible for such content to aid in identifying the violators.

The Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and the Department of Telecommunications have been included in the proceedings to ensure compliance with the Delhi High Court's directives.

Justice Gedela has ordered the defendants to submit written statements within 30 days of receiving the summons, along with affidavits affirming or disputing the plaintiff’s documents.

The case is scheduled for a hearing before the Joint Registrar on April 28 for service completion and pleadings, with a follow-up by the Delhi High Court on August 25, 2026.

This case adds to a growing trend of high-profile figures asserting their personality and publicity rights in the Delhi High Court. Recently, renowned personalities such as former Indian cricket captain Sunil Gavaskar, actor Jr NTR, spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, and others have obtained court protection against unauthorized use of their identity, likeness, or AI-generated imitations.