The Delhi High Court has issued an interim injunction in favor of Bollywood star Kajol, preventing various entities from exploiting her name, image, and persona, including through technologies like artificial intelligence and deepfakes. The court order came in response to a lawsuit filed by Kajol Vishal Devgan against Kash Collective and other defendants, accusing them of unauthorized merchandising and dissemination of morphed content.
Kajol, a prominent figure in the Indian film industry for nearly four decades, has been recognized for her significant contributions and accolades, such as the Padma Shri award. The court acknowledged her substantial goodwill and commercial reputation associated with her identity, emphasizing the need to safeguard her proprietary rights from unauthorized commercial exploitation.
The Delhi High Court found evidence of defendants unlawfully profiting from merchandise using Kajol’s name and image without her consent, potentially damaging her hard-earned reputation. It granted an interim injunction to prevent further harm, highlighting the importance of protecting her identity and reputation from exploitation for personal or commercial gain.
The court directed e-commerce platforms to remove infringing products promptly and ordered social media and video-sharing platforms to take down unauthorized content. Additionally, certain AI platforms were prohibited from hosting chatbots impersonating Kajol, emphasizing the detrimental effects of misleading and obscene content on public perception. The Department of Telecommunications and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology were instructed to block objectionable websites hosting unauthorized content within a specified timeframe.
