Shruti Haasan Moves Bombay High Court Over Personality Rights and AI Deepfakes
Actress Shruti Haasan has approached the Bombay High Court seeking INR 15 crore in damages against 18 defendants for allegedly unauthorised commercial use of her name, image, likeness and voice, as well as the creation and circulation of sexually explicit AI-generated deepfake content. The suit also invokes her performers’ moral rights under Sections 38, 38A and 38B of the Copyright Act, alleging that clips from her performances were manipulated into GIFs and deepfake content in a manner that caused disrepute. The Court has granted leave under Clause XII of the Letters Patent, permitting the commercial suit to be instituted before the Bombay High Court where only part of the cause of action arose within its territorial jurisdiction.
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Madras High Court Refuses to Restrain AI-Enhanced Re-release of Kochadaiiyaan
The Madras High Court has declined to restrain the re-release of the AI-enhanced version of Rajinikanth-starrer Kochadaiiyaan, holding that the film’s financier, Ad Bureau Advertising Pvt. Ltd., had not sought any relief against Eros International Media Ltd., the present assignee of the film rights. Although Ad Bureau claimed rights over the film’s Tamil Nadu collections pursuant to financing arrangements and alleged that Eros had acquired the rights despite knowledge of its claims, the Court noted that the pending money recovery suit did not seek relief against Eros. Accordingly, the Court held that it could not restrain Eros or persons claiming through it from exploiting the film, while allowing the underlying monetary recovery proceedings to continue.
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FSSAI Orders Dabur to Withdraw Products Carrying Misleading ‘100%’ Claims
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has directed Dabur India Ltd. to immediately withdraw food products carrying allegedly misleading “100%” claims, including “100% Natural”, “100% Pure”, “100% Organic” and “100% Purity Guaranteed”. The regulator found the claims to be ambiguous, unverifiable and potentially misleading to consumers, in contravention of the FSS (Advertising & Claims) Regulations, 2018, and also flagged improper use of the Jaivik Bharat logo and organic claims on certain products. Dabur has maintained that its product declarations comply with applicable regulations and industry practices, while stating that it has commenced transitioning affected labels and advertisements to versions without the “100%” claims. FSSAI has directed the company to submit an action taken report within 15 days.
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Delhi High Court Stays FSSAI Order Restricting Dabur’s ‘100%’ Claims
The Delhi High Court has stayed the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) order directing Dabur to stop selling food products carrying claims such as “100% Pure”, “100% Natural”, “100% Purity Guaranteed” and “100% Organic”, pending the next hearing on August 24. Justice Amit Mahajan observed that Dabur had made out a prima facie case for interim relief, particularly on the ground that the prohibition was imposed without adequate notice or an opportunity of hearing. Dabur also challenged the authority of the concerned officer to impose such a prohibition. FSSAI, while opposing the stay, submitted that it had previously issued an improvement notice requiring Dabur to discontinue or modify the disputed claims.
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Calcutta High Court Restrains Hotel from Unlicensed Communication of Musical and Literary Works
The Calcutta High Court has restrained Hotel Appolo & Tours Private Limited from communicating literary and musical works administered by The Indian Performing Right Society Limited (IPRS) to hotel guests through television sets in guest rooms without obtaining a valid licence. The Division Bench held that routing cable television connections to hotel rooms constitutes “communication to the public” under the Copyright Act, 1957, and therefore amounts to copyright infringement where the requisite licence has not been obtained. The Court found that IPRS had established a strong prima facie case under Section 51 of the Copyright Act and set aside the District Court’s refusal to grant interim relief, allowing IPRS’s claims for injunction, accounts and damages to proceed.
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German Court Holds Suno Liable for Copyright Infringement in AI Music Training
The Munich Regional Court has ruled against AI music company Suno in a copyright lawsuit brought by German music rights organisation GEMA, finding that Suno used copyrighted music from GEMA’s repertoire to train its AI models and reproduced protected works without obtaining the required licences. The ruling covers both the use of copyrighted music for AI model training and the subsequent generation of music, reinforcing the need for licensing where protected musical works are commercially used in AI systems. The case concerned six songs, including Daddy Cool, Rasputin, Forever Young and Mambo No. 5. Suno has disputed the findings, maintaining that its technology is designed to generate new music rather than reproduce existing works, and is considering an appeal.
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Calcutta High Court Holds Hotels Must Pay Copyright Royalties for In-Room TV Services
The Calcutta High Court has held that hotels cannot rely on their cable operators’ licences to avoid obtaining separate copyright licences and paying royalties for providing television services to guests in hotel rooms. The Court held that such use constitutes “communication to the public” under Section 2(ff) of the Copyright Act, 1957, and amounts to commercial exploitation of literary and musical works, even where guests are not separately charged for television access. It further clarified that hotel guests cannot be treated as cable subscribers and that the residential-use exemption under Section 52(1)(k) does not extend to hotels. Finding a strong prima facie case of infringement, the Court restrained the hotel from communicating or publicly performing works from the IPRS repertoire without the requisite licence and payment of applicable royalties.
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Government Considers Comprehensive Statutory Framework for OTT Content Regulation
The Information and Broadcasting Ministry has informed a parliamentary committee that it is considering a comprehensive statutory framework to regulate OTT content that may be considered offensive to societal moral standards, while safeguarding individual rights and freedoms. The proposed framework is expected to strengthen age verification, parental controls and penalties for non-compliance, while the parliamentary committee has also recommended examining an independent post-release review panel comprising experts from fields including law, child development, education and social sciences. The recommendations highlight concerns with the existing self-regulatory framework under the IT Rules, 2021, particularly the absence of pre-release scrutiny and limitations in existing age-verification mechanisms, which may expose minors to harmful content.
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Delhi High Court Orders Takedown of Derogatory Content Against Tabu in Personality Rights Suit
The Delhi High Court has ordered the removal of derogatory and obscene online content targeting Bollywood actress Tabassum Jamal Hashmi, popularly known as Tabu, in her suit seeking protection of her personality rights. Justice Jyoti Singh directed the takedown of various social media posts and links appearing on Facebook, Instagram and Reddit, with the interim order to be passed in the matter. The case, Tabassum Jamal Hashmi v. Ashok Kumar & Ors., adds to a growing line of Delhi High Court orders protecting the personality rights of public figures against unauthorised, misleading, derogatory and AI-generated online content. Read more here.
Bombay High Court Directs Takedown of AI Deepfakes Targeting Nitin Gadkari
The Bombay High Court granted interim relief to Union Minister Nitin Gadkari in his suit concerning allegedly defamatory AI-generated deepfake videos and manipulated digital content linked to the E20 ethanol-blended petrol controversy. Justice Arif S. Doctor observed that the impugned content was “vile, abusive and defamatory” and directed Meta, Google and other platforms to remove the posts flagged by Gadkari, including any recirculated versions, and to furnish subscriber information relating to those who uploaded the offending material. Gadkari’s application identified 26 links containing face-swap videos, AI-generated images and cartoons allegedly using his name, face, voice and mannerisms without consent, while his suit seeks INR 11 crore in damages. The Court also directed that similar abusive deepfake content circulated in the future may be notified to the platforms for appropriate takedown action. Read more here.
Centre Steps Up Fight Against Film Piracy, Blocks 4,996 Telegram Channels and 1,263 Websites
The Central Government has intensified action against online film piracy, ordering the blocking of 7,393 infringing links, of which 4,996 were Telegram channels and 1,263 were websites facilitating unauthorised access to copyrighted films and other audiovisual content. The action has been taken under the strengthened anti-piracy framework introduced through the Cinematograph (Amendment) Act, 2023, which empowers designated officers of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to issue directions to intermediaries for disabling access to pirated content. The Government informed Parliament that enforcement is being undertaken on complaints received from copyright owners and authorised representatives, with Telegram emerging as a significant channel for circulation of pirated content. The Ministry is also working towards a dedicated Anti-Piracy Portal to streamline complaints and facilitate faster blocking of infringing content, reflecting a move towards quicker administrative enforcement alongside court-ordered website blocking mechanisms.
Zee Sues Blinkit Over Alleged Unlicensed Use of Copyrighted Music in Instagram Promotions
Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd. has approached the Delhi High Court against Blink Commerce Pvt. Ltd., which operates Blinkit, alleging that the quick-commerce company used Zee’s copyrighted works in promotional content uploaded to its Instagram account without the requisite commercial licence. The Delhi High Court has issued summons to Blinkit and sought its response to Zee’s application for an interim injunction, while permitting Zee to place on record screen recordings of the allegedly infringing Instagram content; the matter is listed for August 14, 2026. The dispute forms part of Zee’s broader copyright enforcement against commercial use of its content on social media, with similar proceedings having been initiated against Nykaa and Libaas.
CBFC Cannot Withhold Film Certification Merely Due to Pending Civil Dispute: Telangana High Court
The Telangana High Court has directed the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to process and issue the certification for the feature film Raam Bhajarang, holding that the mere pendency of a civil or commercial dispute concerning rights in a film cannot justify withholding certification when there is no stay or injunction restraining the CBFC. Justice Nagesh Bheemapaka observed that the CBFC’s statutory role under the Cinematograph Act is confined to examining and certifying films based on their content and does not extend to adjudicating private disputes between rival claimants. The case arose after the CBFC kept the film’s certification on hold because another producer had filed proceedings claiming rights over the film, even though the producer of Raam Bhajarang, Sunrise Entertainments, was not a party to those proceedings and no interim restraint had been granted. The Court held that a statutory authority cannot abdicate its functions merely because litigation is pending elsewhere and directed the CBFC to proceed with certification uninfluenced by the pending dispute. Read more here.
Parliamentary Panel Calls for Stronger Legal Framework to Tackle Deepfakes and AI-Generated Misinformation
A Parliamentary Standing Committee has recommended a stronger legal and regulatory framework to combat deepfakes and AI-generated misinformation, observing that existing laws may not adequately address the rapidly evolving risks posed by synthetic content. In its response to the Committee, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) said it has prepared draft amendments aimed at strengthening the responsibilities of social media platforms and services that enable users to create or modify AI-generated content, including measures relating to identification, labelling and platform accountability. The development comes amid a broader shift in India’s approach to AI regulation: the IT Rules were amended in February 2026 to impose specific obligations concerning synthetically generated information, while the Parliamentary Committee has advocated exploring a more comprehensive standalone framework to deal with AI-related harms such as deepfakes, impersonation and misinformation. Read more here.
