New Delhi, March 24 (NationPress) The Delhi High Court has issued an ex parte ad interim injunction in favor of Bollywood star Sonakshi Sinha, prohibiting several entities, including AI chatbot platforms and online retailers, from unlawfully using her name, likeness, voice, and other personal attributes without permission.

Justice Jyoti Singh, sitting as a single-judge Bench, delivered this interim ruling in response to a suit filed by the actress against various defendants, including chatbot services, e-commerce platforms, domain registrars, and unidentified parties referred to as “John Doe” entities.

The lawsuit alleged that the actress's persona was being exploited through AI-generated chatbots, deepfake content, and the unauthorized sale of merchandise that misleadingly suggested her endorsement, in addition to the spread of obscene and inappropriate material.

In its ruling, the court noted that Sonakshi Sinha is a celebrated Bollywood actress with a remarkable career that has lasted over a decade, having made a significant impression on audiences and the industry with her debut in 'Dabangg', which has led to her widespread recognition and goodwill.

Justice Singh highlighted that several chatbot platforms were facilitating interactions where users could converse “as if they were speaking to the Plaintiff herself,” with many instances resulting in the generation of “lewd and objectionable content”.

The court further determined that various defendants were utilizing Sinha’s likeness, image, and other personal traits without her consent to market products and services, thereby falsely implying her endorsement and exploiting her reputation for commercial gain.

“Defendants No.1 to 17 are illegally and unlawfully leveraging various aspects of the Plaintiff’s persona, including her likeness, voice, and image, for unjustified commercial profits, without obtaining her consent or authorization,” the Delhi High Court stated.

The court also noted the detrimental reputational impact of these actions, observing that some infringing content portrayed the actress in “inappropriate attire and obscene scenarios created with AI tools, which is inflicting irreparable harm on her reputation”.

Affirming the legal safeguards surrounding personality rights, Justice Singh emphasized, “The plaintiff possesses the right to defend her name, likeness, and all other attributes of her persona, and no third party is authorized to utilize those attributes without her consent.”

The Delhi High Court concluded that Sonakshi Sinha had established a prima facie case for interim relief, declaring that “the balance of convenience is in favor of the Plaintiff and she is likely to endure irreparable harm” should the injunction not be granted.

Consequently, the court has barred the defendants and their affiliates from directly or indirectly utilizing or exploiting Sonakshi Sinha’s name, image, voice, or likeness for any commercial or personal benefit, including through AI technologies, generative AI tools, deepfakes, chatbots, or face morphing.

It also mandated that the relevant defendants remove the infringing URLs specified in the complaint within 36 hours of receiving the order.

The case involving Sonakshi Sinha adds to an increasing roster of prominent figures asserting their personality and publicity rights before the Delhi High Court.

Recently, several high-profile individuals, including former Indian cricket captain Sunil Gavaskar, spiritual leader and Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, actors Nagarjuna, Kajol, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, and Abhishek Bachchan, singer Jubin Nautiyal, filmmaker Karan Johar, and podcaster Raj Shamani, have successfully obtained court protection against the unauthorized use of their identity, likeness, or AI-generated imitations.