Bombay High Court Extends Urgent Protection to Suniel Shetty’s Personality Rights
The Bombay High Court has granted actor Suniel Shetty interim protection against unauthorized use of his persona, including AI-generated deepfake images, cloned audio, fake endorsements, counterfeit merchandise and unauthorized social media profiles. The court held such acts infringe his fundamental rights of privacy and dignity under Article 21, and also violate his moral rights under the Copyright Act. It recognized that misuse of his name, likeness, voice and mannerisms could mislead the public and amount to passing off or misappropriation of goodwill. The court also permitted a John Doe order (to include unknown infringers), directed platforms like Meta and X to remove offending content within a week, and restrained further unauthorized exploitation of his persona. The matter is set for further hearing on November 17, 1015.
Read order here.
Delhi High Court to Hear Kumar Sanu’s Plea Seeking Protection of Personality Rights
Playback singer Kumar Sanu Bhattacharjee has approached the Delhi High Court seeking protection of his personality and publicity rights, including his name, voice, singing style, likeness, signature, and other attributes, from unauthorized exploitation. The suit alleges that third parties have misused his performances through GIFs, sound and video recordings, and AI-generated content that clone his voice and facial features, creating merchandise and monetized content on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Sanu contends these acts not only violate his moral rights under Section 38B of the Copyright Act, 1957, but also amount to false endorsements and passing off.
Shah Bano’s Daughter Serves Notice to Filmmakers and Censor Board Over “Haq”
Shah Bano’s daughter, Siddiqua Begum, has sent a legal notice to the makers of the film Haq and to the Central Board of Film Certification, demanding that the movie not be released or promoted until consent is obtained from her and the family. She claims the film portrays private and sensitive aspects of her mother’s life without authorization, infringing rights of privacy, defamation law, moral rights under copyright law, and CBFC guidelines. The notice warns all parties including the director, producers, and CBFC to cease their actions within seven days or face legal proceedings.
Read more here.
Bombay HC Bars Cab Operators from Using “Jio” Trademark
The Bombay High Court has granted an ad-interim injunction in favor of Reliance Industries, restraining cab operators from using the “Jio” name, domain “jiocabs.com,” or any mark deceptively similar to Reliance’s registered “Jio” trademark. The Court held that Reliance had established a strong prima facie case of trademark infringement and passing off, observing that continued misuse of a well-known brand like “Jio” could severely harm its goodwill and reputation. Despite the defendants changing their company name after receiving notice, the court noted that the domain remained active and misleading, warranting injunctive relief. The matter has been posted for further hearing on November 28.
Content Creators Push Indian Panel to Restrict AI Use of Their Work
Hollywood studios and Bollywood guilds are pressing an Indian government committee to strengthen copyright safeguards and prevent AI companies from freely using films, trailers, clips or pirated content to train models. They are pushing for a licensing system instead of blanket exemptions, warning that allowing unrestricted AI training could erode creators’ control, revenues, and incentives to produce new work. This plea comes as the panel reviews whether Indian copyright law sufficiently addresses AI-related uses and considers proposed reforms.
Read more here.
Delhi HC Orders Removal of AI-Generated Deepfakes, Upholds Sudhir Chaudhary’s Personality Rights
The Delhi High Court has granted interim protection to journalist Sudhir Chaudhary, directing that his name, image, likeness, and voice must not be misused through AI-generated deepfake content. The court ordered that Chaudhary serve notices to the creators of infringing content and to platforms like Google and Meta, requiring removal of such material within 48 hours, failing which the platforms must take action. The ruling also allows extension of the injunction to newly identified links and mandates Chaudhary to obtain basic subscriber details of unidentified defendants to issue further notices.
Delhi High Court Summons Red Chillies and Netflix in Sameer Wankhede’s INR2 Crore Defamation Suit Over Aryan Khan Show
The Delhi High Court has issued summons to Red Chillies Entertainment, Netflix, Google, Meta, X Corp, and others in a INR 2 crore defamation suit filed by former NCB officer Sameer Wankhede. Wankhede alleges that the Netflix series “The Ba**rds of Bollywood”* produced by Red Chillies Entertainment, owned by Shah Rukh and Gauri Khan features a character closely resembling him, which “targets and ridicules” him. He claims the portrayal is false, malicious, and intentionally designed to damage his reputation while cases involving him and Aryan Khan remain sub judice. The suit seeks removal of the alleged defamatory content, injunctions against further publication or dissemination, and action against unidentified content creators. Wankhede also stated that he has been receiving intimidating messages online.
Delhi High Court Grants “Dynamic+” Injunction to Universal City Studios Productions LLP and ors to Combat Online Piracy by Rogue Websites
The Delhi High Court, in Universal City Studios Productions LLP & Ors. v. Isaidub.spot & Ors., granted a “Dynamic+” injunction restraining 106 rogue websites from streaming, downloading, or hosting copyrighted works of leading global studios, including Universal City Studios. Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora directed domain registrars, ISPs, and government departments (DoT and MeitY) to block access to these infringing sites and any mirror or redirect versions within 72 hours. The “Dynamic+” injunction empowers plaintiffs to extend protection to newly discovered mirror domains without filing fresh suits, ensuring swift action against evolving piracy tactics. The order also allows mistakenly blocked non-infringing sites to seek modification upon affidavit.
Read order here.
Delhi High Court Restrains YouTuber from Posting Disparaging Content Against BroCode Beverage
The Delhi High Court has restrained a YouTuber operating under the name “Sipp_Smart” from publishing or circulating any video disparaging Indospirit Beverages’ product BroCode, after finding that his video falsely described the drink as “poisonous,” “deadly,” and “unfit for consumption.” Justice Tejas Karia held that the video, though partially disguising the brand name as “B-Code,” was clearly identifiable and damaging to the company’s goodwill. The court directed the YouTuber to remove the content within 24 hours and ordered YouTube to take it down within 72 hours if he failed to comply, also requiring disclosure of his subscriber details. The court found a prima facie case of trademark infringement, disparagement, and unfair trade practice, noting that BroCode met BIS and FSSAI safety standards.
Read judgement here.
Tamil Nadu Gaming Regulator Targets Meta and Google Over Illegal Gambling Ads
The Tamil Nadu Online Gaming Authority (TNOGA) is set to issue formal notices to major tech platforms such as Meta and Google for allegedly carrying offshore betting and gambling advertisements on their platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. The regulator is also planning action against influencers promoting such content and is coordinating with the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) to identify and block offending links. The move follows growing concern over the use of surrogate ads, celebrity endorsements, and AI-generated promotions by offshore gaming operators, which the authority believes undermine the state’s online gaming ban and pose risks to public order.
TRAI Releases Recommendations on Digital Radio Broadcast Policy for Private Broadcasters
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has issued its comprehensive recommendations for formulating a Digital Radio Broadcast Policy for private radio broadcasters, laying the groundwork for the introduction of digital radio in India. The policy proposes the commencement of digital radio services in simulcast mode, enabling broadcasters to air one analog, three digital, and one data channel on a single frequency across 13 major cities, including Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, and Hyderabad. TRAI has suggested adopting a single digital radio technology standard for VHF Band II, auction-based spectrum allocation, and a voluntary migration framework for existing FM broadcasters within six months of the auction. The recommendations also propose a 15-year authorisation period, a graded authorisation fee structure (4% of Adjusted Gross Revenue, with lower rates for hilly and border areas), and the introduction of ‘Radio Broadcasting Infrastructure Providers’ to share digital infrastructure. The policy emphasizes incentives for infrastructure sharing, advisory on digital radio receiver availability in mobile phones and cars, and formation of a high-level steering committee to oversee implementation, marking a significant step towards digitising India’s radio ecosystem.
Delhi HC Declares WIPRO a “Well-Known” Trademark
The Delhi High Court has ruled that “WIPRO” qualifies as a well-known trademark under Section 2(1)(zg) of the Trademarks Act 1999, noting that Wipro Enterprises has used the mark continuously since 1977 and invested heavily in promotion—reportedly INR 8,800 crore between 1994-95 and 2023-24-making the mark synonymous with itself. In a suit against an application to register “SHIVAM UDHYOG WIPRO WIRE MESH” in Class 06, the defendants agreed to withdraw the application and refrain from using any mark confusingly similar to “WIPRO.”
Hollywood-AI Battle Escalates Over Sora 2
OpenAI’s launch of Sora 2, an AI tool that enables users to insert real people and fictional characters into photorealistic scenes with speech and sound, has triggered fierce pushback from Hollywood studios, talent agencies and unions. The core of the dispute is over control of likeness, copyrighted characters and creative content-Hollywood insists that such use should require permission and compensation, rejecting OpenAI’s “opt-out” approach. In response to the backlash, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced efforts to provide rights holders more granular controls and revenue-sharing mechanisms, but the controversy may presage a broader legal and regulatory showdown over AI-generated media.
Read more here.
Apple Faces U.S. Lawsuit Over Using Copyrighted Books to Train “Apple Intelligence”
Apple has been sued in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California by two neuroscientists who allege that the company unlawfully used thousands of copyrighted books-sourced from illegal “shadow libraries”- to train its AI system, “Apple Intelligence.” The plaintiffs claim that their works were among those used without permission, constituting a violation of intellectual property rights. The lawsuit seeks damages and injunctive relief, marking another major legal challenge against tech companies accused of using copyrighted content for AI training.
