Delhi High Court Protects Varun Dhawan's Personality Rights From Fake Endorsements And Deepfakes

The Delhi High Court has granted interim protection to actor Varun Dhawan, directing the removal of AI-generated deepfake content depicting him in inappropriate scenarios and restraining the unauthorised use of his name, image, and other personality attributes.

In an order passed on May 29, Justice Jyoti Singh observed that Dhawan had made out a prima facie case for the grant of an interim injunction in a suit seeking protection of his publicity and personality rights.

The court restrained several websites, social media intermediaries, and e-commerce platforms from violating Dhawan's rights by circulating objectionable content or commercially exploiting his identity without authorisation.

"Plaintiff is entitled to protection against the dissemination of pornographic content as well as AI-generated images portraying him in an inappropriate scenario. Such distasteful content is harming and damaging the reputation of the Plaintiff and may mislead the public into believing what is depicted may be true," the court said.

The bench added that Dhawan's right to restrain third parties from infringing upon and passing off his personality rights must also be preserved.

The High Court further directed Google, Meta Platforms, and X Corporation to furnish the Basic Subscriber Information (BSI) of users responsible for sharing the infringing content.

Social media intermediaries have also been asked to take down any fresh infringing content identified and communicated by Dhawan within 36 hours.

Appearing for the actor, Senior Advocate Sandeep Sethi told the court that several online sellers were misusing Dhawan's personality traits to market and sell merchandise without his consent.

The court was also informed that certain booking agencies were falsely claiming to be authorised to engage the actor for performances and events.

Dhawan additionally sought protection against the circulation of AI-generated pornographic material and deepfakes showing him in inappropriate situations with female co-stars.

In his suit, the actor stated that both his name and signature are registered trademarks, arguing that their unauthorised use amounts to an infringement of his legal rights.

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