Delhi High Court on Thursday protected the personality rights of actor Aishwarya Rai Bachchan by granting an interim injunction barring online platforms from illegally using her name and images for commercial gain.

The high court said using the identity of a famous personality without their consent or authorisation might not only lead to commercial detriment to the individual concerned but also impact their dignity, reputation and goodwill.

Justice Tejas Karia restrained multiple entities from misusing Aishwarya’s name and images through technological tools, including AI. Several platforms were asked to remove such unauthorised content.

The court observed that Aishwarya had prima facie established a case for the grant of an ex parte injunction.

“If an injunction is not granted in the present case, it will lead to an irreparable loss to the plaintiff and her family, not only financially, but also with respect to her right to live with dignity,” the court said.

The ruling came in response to a suit filed by Aishwarya seeking to safeguard her publicity and personality rights. Aishwarya had submitted that her name, image, signature, voice, likeness and all other elements of her personality had acquired a unique distinctiveness and had a huge commercial value due to their inimitable nature. Any third party using her images and name were deceptive in nature and caused confusion, she had pleaded.

The court said: “Any infringement of the plaintiff’s personality rights, while causing confusion among the members of the public regarding endorsement or sponsorship of a product or service by the plaintiff.”