Personality Rights Lawyer & Law Firm in India | Celebrity & AI Deepfake Litigation

A photograph can be altered within minutes. A voice can be recreated using Artificial Intelligence. A person's face can be placed into a video that they never recorded. A fake endorsement can be made to look genuine. A name or photograph can also be used to sell products, merchandise or services without proper authorisation.

For celebrities and public personalities, these are no longer simply social-media problems.

They can become serious legal and commercial disputes requiring urgent court intervention.

This is where personality rights law, publicity rights, intellectual property law, technology law and commercial litigation increasingly overlap.

In India, the Bombay High Court and Delhi High Court have dealt with a growing number of personality-rights disputes involving names, images, voices, AI-generated content, deepfakes, merchandise and digital platforms.

The recent Bombay High Court proceedings involving Preity Zinta are one example of how complicated these disputes can become when AI-generated content, manipulated images, chatbot personas and multiple online platforms are involved.

What Are Personality Rights?

Personality rights generally concern the protection of identifiable aspects of a person's identity and the commercial value associated with that identity.

Depending on the circumstances, this may include:

• • name
• • photograph
• • image
• • voice
• • likeness
• • signature
• • distinctive appearance
• • persona
• • other recognisable attributes

India does not presently have one comprehensive statute called the Personality Rights Act. Instead, protection can arise through different legal principles, including privacy, publicity rights, copyright, passing off, intellectual property and other applicable laws. Therefore, every personality-rights dispute has to be examined on its own facts.

Why AI Has Made Personality Rights Litigation More Important

Artificial Intelligence has made it considerably easier to reproduce another person's identity.

Common examples include:

• • A photograph can be transformed.
• • A face can be digitally inserted into a video.
• • A voice can be cloned.
• • A fictional interview can be created.
• • An AI chatbot can be made to appear to represent a public personality.
• • A fake advertisement can make it appear that a celebrity has endorsed a product.
• • This creates a completely different legal problem from the traditional unauthorised use of a photograph.
• • The Bombay High Court's decision concerning Asha Bhosle, for example, involved the use of AI technology capable of converting voices into a voice resembling that of the singer. The Court granted protection against unauthorised exploitation of her personality attributes.
• • Similarly, personality-rights litigation involving other well-known personalities has increasingly addressed AI-generated and digitally manipulated material.

When Can a Celebrity Approach a Lawyer or High Court?.

A celebrity, actor, singer, sportsperson, influencer, entrepreneur or other public personality may need legal advice where there is:

• • Unauthorised commercial use of their name, image or likeness.
• • Fake endorsement suggesting that they have approved a product or service
• • AI deepfake content showing them doing or saying something that never happened.
• • Voice cloning or unauthorised imitation of their voice.
• • Unauthorised merchandise carrying their identity.
• • Digital impersonation through websites, social-media accounts or AI-generated personas.
• • Manipulated photographs or videos that cause reputational or commercial harm.
• • Unauthorised use of personality attributes by businesses, advertisers or other commercial entities.
• • Depending on the circumstances, a personality-rights lawyer or advocate may advise on a legal notice, civil proceedings, interim injunction, takedown strategy or other appropriate remedy
• • What If You Have Received a Personality Rights Legal Notice?
• • The other side of personality-rights litigation is equally important.

Not every person or company accused of violating personality rights is necessarily liable.

What If You Have Received a Personality Rights Legal Notice?

A business, advertiser, publisher, technology company, content creator or platform receiving a legal notice should first examine:

• • Was there consent?
• • Was there a licence or agreement?
• • Was the material supplied by an authorised person?
• • Was the use commercial?
• • Does the content actually suggest endorsement?
• • Was the material created by the defendant?
• • What is the defendant's role in relation to the content?
• • Is the requested injunction excessively broad?
• • Are there contractual or other legal rights involved?
• • Is the use editorial, commentary, criticism or otherwise legally protected?
• • A rushed admission or unnecessarily broad takedown can sometimes create additional commercial problems.
• • This is why defence-side personality-rights advice is as important as plaintiff-side representation.

Why These Cases Can Require High Court Litigation

Digital content does not remain in one place.

A single video can move from one website to Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, X and other platforms within a short period.

• • The person who originally uploaded the material may be anonymous.
• • The website may be operated outside India.
• • The platform may have its principal operations outside India.
• • The content may nevertheless be accessible throughout India.
• • As a result, a personality-rights case can involve questions concerning

jurisdiction, unidentified defendants, intermediary platforms, digital evidence, injunctions, takedown directions and enforcement. In suitable cases, urgent interim relief can therefore become an important part of the litigation strategy.

Personality Rights Lawyer, Advocate & Law Firm in Mumbai

Mumbai has particular significance for personality-rights disputes because it is a major centre for the entertainment, media, advertising, technology and commercial industries.

A personality rights lawyer in Mumbai may therefore encounter matters involving celebrities, production houses, advertisers, digital platforms, brands, technology companies and commercial businesses.

But the dispute itself may extend far beyond Mumbai.

An online infringement can involve parties and platforms located anywhere in India or overseas..

Accordingly, the legal strategy should be based on the actual facts, parties, digital evidence, jurisdiction and relief required.

JuristechLegal & Partners advises on complex personality-rights, intellectual-property, technology, media and commercial litigation matters in Mumbai and across India.

Personality Rights Lawyer for Both Sides of the Dispute

Our approach is not limited to one side.

We advise celebrities and public personalities seeking protection of their identity, as well as companies, advertisers, platforms, technology businesses and other defendants/respondents facing personality-rights claims, subject to conflict checks.

For a claimant, the objective may be to stop unauthorised exploitation and protect reputation and commercial value.

For a defendant, the objective may be to protect legitimate business activity, challenge an overbroad claim or injunction, and establish the legal basis for the disputed use.

The strategy in both situations is different.

• • Areas We Handle
• • Personality Rights Litigation
• • Celebrity & Publicity Rights
• • AI Deepfake Disputes
• • AI Voice Cloning & Voice Misuse
• • Image & Likeness Protection
• • Digital Impersonation
• • Unauthorised Celebrity Merchandise
• • Copyright & Trademark Disputes
• • Commercial IP Litigation
• • Media & Entertainment Disputes
• • Technology-Related IP Litigation
• • High Court Injunction Proceedings
• • Personality Rights Legal Notices
• • Defence Against Personality Rights Claims

Why Early Legal Advice Matters

A personality-rights dispute can affect much more than one piece of online content.

• • It can affect a person
• • reputation, endorsements, commercial contracts, brand value and future business opportunities.
• • For a company, an allegation can affect
• • advertising campaigns, products, digital content, technology platforms and commercial relationships.
• • Evidence should therefore be preserved carefully and the legal position assessed before the dispute becomes substantially larger.
• • Section 11 proceedings
• • In an appropriate case, the first few days may be important.

Personality Rights Law Firm in India

JuristechLegal & Partners provides legal advice and representation in complex personality-rights, intellectual-property, technology, media and commercial disputes. The practice is relevant to celebrities, public personalities, businesses, advertisers, technology companies, digital platforms and other parties dealing with significant personality-rights issues. If your name, image, voice or likeness is being misused, or if you have received a personality-rights legal notice, injunction application or High Court proceeding, the matter should be reviewed on its specific facts.

• • JuristechLegal & Partners
• • Mumbai, India
• • Appeals before NCLAT

Personality Rights | AI & Deepfake Litigation | Intellectual Property | Commercial Litigation | High Court Matters