Suniel Shetty has been granted urgent interim protection by the Bombay High Court. This is against the misuse of his image through AI-generated deepfakes, fake ads, and fake merchandise. The court said these acts violate his basic rights to privacy and dignity.
What did the judge say?
As reported by Bar and Bench, Justice Arif S Doctor said, “The material presented, including obscene AI-generated images of Shetty and his family, could at best be described as a lethal combination of a depraved mind and the misuse of technology, which could harm Shetty’s personality rights.”
Suniel Shetty asks court to protect his image
Shetty went to court to protect his personality rights, privacy, and dignity under Article 21 of the Constitution. He also wanted to protect his moral rights under the Copyright Act.In his petition, Shetty spoke about his three-decade-long career in more than 100 films. He also mentioned his deals with national and international brands and his social media following of over 13 million.Advocate Birendra Saraf, representing Shetty, said, “The actor’s name, likeness, image, voice and mannerisms had become uniquely associated with him and were being misappropriated through deepfakes, unauthorised advertisements, fake social media profiles and merchandising.”
Court notes harm to reputation and privacy
The court said the fake content not only harms Shetty’s reputation but can also mislead the public. Justice Doctor said, “The unauthorized creation/ uploading of deepfake images of the Plaintiff on social media platforms constitutes a grave infringement not only of his personality rights but also of his right to live with dignity. Equally, the unauthorized use of AI generated images of the Plaintiff and his family members constitutes a blatant invasion of their privacy and their fundamental rights.” He also said these acts give a false idea that Shetty endorses the products or content, which misleads people. This is classic passing off and misappropriation of goodwill.
Court allows John Doe order for unknown persons
The court agreed to Shetty’s request for a John Doe order. This is an order against unknown persons, not just the people named in the case.Justice Doctor said, “Given the clandestine and continuing nature of these activities and the ongoing harm, the Plaintiff has correctly impleaded Defendant No. 1, ‘John Doe/Ashok Kumar,’ to represent the entire class of such unknown persons whose identities cannot be presently ascertained.”
Defendants barred from using Suniel Shetty’s image
The court stopped several defendants from using Shetty’s image in any form. This includes AI content, deepfakes, cloned audio, or merchandise. Meta Platforms and X Corp were told to remove the illegal content within one week. They also have to give Shetty the details of users who uploaded the content if asked. The case will be heard next on November 17.
Suniel Shetty on the work front
Shetty will next appear in ‘Hera Pheri 3’ with Akshay Kumar and Paresh Rawal. He is also part of ‘Welcome To The Jungle,’ which has an ensemble cast.
