Jubin Nautiyal’s Wins Court Verdict On Personality Rights And AI Misuse
NEW DELHI -The Delhi High Court has granted an injunction in favor of singer Jubin Nautiyal, restraining multiple Artificial Intelligence platforms, online intermediaries, e-commerce websites and unidentified entities from misusing his name, voice, image and other attributes of his personality for commercial gain.
“In the considered opinion of this Court, the plaintiff has a prima facie strong case and having regard to his well-known, popular and well-accepted personality, the balance of convenience is tilted in favor of the plaintiff,” ordered Tushar Rao Justice Gedela, adding that failure to grant immediate relief would result in irreparable harm to the singer’s reputation and identity.
“The irreparable loss and injury which may occasion may not be compensated in monetary terms. The dent and damage to the image and personality of the plaintiff, prima facie, appears to be real and present,” the order stated.
In his plaint, Nautiyal claimed that his personality/publicity rights include his name, voice, vocal style and technique, vocal arrangements and interpretations, mannerism and manner of singing, image, caricature, photographs, likeness and signature.
The suit alleged that certain defendants — including AI platforms — were using Machine Learning and generative AI tools to create audio and visual content mimicking the singer’s voice, facial expressions and singing style without authorization.
Nautiyal further stated that the infringing activities included the sale of merchandise such as posters, digital artwork, and other products bearing his name and likeness on online marketplaces like Flipkart and Amazon, falsely suggesting association or endorsement.
The Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and the Department of Telecommunications were impleaded to facilitate implementation of the Delhi High Court’s directions.
The Nautiyal case adds to a growing list of high-profile personalities invoking their personality and publicity rights before the Delhi High Court.
In recent months, former India cricket captain Sunil Gavaskar, actor Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao (Jr NTR), spiritual leader and Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, actors Nagarjuna, Kajol Devgan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, and Abhishek Bachchan, film-maker Karan Johar, and podcaster Raj Shamani have secured court protection against the unauthorized use of their identity, likeness, or AI-generated imitations. (IANS)
