Delhi High Court Bars Misuse of R. Madhavan’s Name and Image, Cracks Down on AI Deepfakes
Delhi HC Orders Ban on Obscene, Fake Content Using R. Madhavan’s Identity: The Delhi High Court on Monday restrained several websites and online platforms from commercially exploiting the name, image, or persona of actor R. Madhavan without his consent, in a significant ruling aimed at protecting personality rights in the digital age.
A bench led by Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora also barred the accused parties from misusing the actor’s identity through artificial intelligence (AI) and deepfake technology. The court further directed the immediate removal of certain obscene and objectionable content circulating online in Madhavan’s name.
During the hearing, the court made it clear that a ban was being imposed on the grounds of obscenity and misuse of personality rights, and noted that a detailed interim order would be issued later.
Counsel appearing for Madhavan informed the court that one of the accused had created a fake film trailer titled Kesari 3, falsely claiming that the film would be released soon. The trailer allegedly used AI-generated and deepfake content to depict the actor, misleading the public and commercially exploiting his persona without authorization.
The court was also told that Madhavan had approached social media platforms to take down the infringing content before filing the lawsuit, but the material continued to circulate online, prompting legal action.
The order reinforces growing judicial concern over the misuse of AI and deepfake technology and underscores the need for stricter safeguards to protect individuals, especially public figures, from digital impersonation and exploitation.
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